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“No need,” I shot back with a tight smile. “It was one of the few things I actually learned here at Neverthorn.” He raised his eyebrows expectantly. I choked out a final word. “Sir.”

He frowned, but didn’t press, instead turning to Phyllis.

“You and I can practice together, then.”

Based on the sudden flare of annoyance in her eyes that fled as quickly as it had come, I could tell the older woman wasn’t any happier than I had been to be paired with him. She was just much better at hiding her irritation.

I should take a few lessons from Phyllis. She wasn’t just wise, she had clearly learned the art of restraint over the years, something I was sorely lacking.

“Can you be my partner?” Fable asked, biting her lip as she leaned toward me. “I know exactly what to do, but when I do it, it’s almost like there’s no ... oomph behind it.”

I totally knew what she meant but hadn’t been able to put my finger on it, or why it only seemed to feel that way when I was doing the runes their way, particularly here back in school.

Honestly, I chalked a huge part of it up to the stress of being here.

Because when I did things my own way, I felt . .. well ...

Magical.

“I feel that way, too,” I said, “But what’s worse is that I don’t even think I’m doing the runes right. It’s like, I can picture them exactly in my mind, but then things get jumbled, and I can’t quite get the order right. Let’s go over to that corner and try to practice.”

Away from Tarquinius’s prying eyes. Eyes that would make even the most adept wizard nervous.

For the next hour and a half, we worked, throwing rune after rune, exactly the way we’d been taught.

One would think that all the repetition would’ve done us good.

Instead, though, we all seemed to be getting slower and my head ached with the effort of trying to decipher the shapes and patterns in my mind.

Hell, even my fingers were cramping.

And Fable and I weren’t the only ones struggling. Ross, Ellie, Marina, Caterina, Gary and Zeed stood a short distance away from us in pairs, frustrated and exhausted.

“My turn again,” Zeed demanded through gritted teeth. His skin was sickly pale, sweat beading on his brow.

Marina nodded and set her legs apart in a fighting stance.

He threw the rune her way, but she blocked it easily, even though they only stood a few yards apart.

“This is brutal,” Fable whispered. She was bleary-eyed as she stared at Zeed with a sad shake of her head.

So far, she hadn’t managed to block or hit me, even once, and I knew she was getting frustrated and feeling bad for our housemates.

With a groan, she fired off another propelling rune, and this time, I didn’t try to stop her.

It was a weak attack, and I skittered a few feet back, shooting her a grin.

“There you go! Good job.”

“Don’t patronize me, Harlow. I know you let me hit you. Please ... It’s only going to make it worse for me in the long run if I don’t get past this.”

Guilt pricked me hard, and I knew she was right, but what could I do?

You can teach her your way.

I spared a glance toward Marina and Zeed, who both looked like they wanted to spit nails, and then back at Fable.

Fruck it. Either these donkeyholes wanted my help trying to save the Dwimmer world or they didn’t. I was tired of doing things the hard way.

I motioned at the two pairs closest to me. “Come here you guys.”

Zeed, Marina, Ross, Caterina, and Fable formed a semi-circle around me, and I lowered my voice to a murmur.

“We’re all doing these spells like they showed us in school. What if there was an easier way? Think of it like shorthand. I can show you, but I can’t promise Tarquinius is gonna like it ...”

Zeed let out a short laugh. “I would beg, borrow, or steal to be able to throw faster right now. Show me.”

“Same,” Marina said, nodding furiously.

I raised a brow in Fable’s direction, and she gave me a thumb’s up.

“Seriously? It’s kind of breaking the rules, which I know you’re not a big fan of.”

“Please.” She snort-laughed. “That was yesterday Fable. Today Fable has come to grips with the fact that something needs to change. Nocta is getting closer. We need to be ready.” She cracked her knuckles and tipped her head in a curt nod. “Let’s do this.”

I grinned. “Okay, instead of doing these four separate motions,” I said, sweeping my index finger in a clumsy imitation of the series that Tarquinius had shown us, “If you skip all that and make it into one, fluid motion, it looks like this.” I moved my fingers in a flourish that sent a stunned Zeed reeling back.

“Holy crap.” His eyes were wide as he rushed back toward me. “That was amazing. Do it again!”

Within five minutes, all of them had gotten off at least one spell that actually did what it was supposed to, and they’d passed it on to the others too. I showed them a blocking rune too, because now we really needed it.

They picked the shorthand up like it was nothing to them, and for the first time, our runes were kicking asterisk.

“So good, Fable,” I crowed, pumping my fist as she blocked a real haymaker from Marina. “Awesome!”

I had my hand in the air for a high five one second, and was frozen in place the next, completely paralyzed, unable to move. It only took a second to realize those closest to me were in the same boat.

“That is not the rune you were taught,” Tarquinius said, maintaining his hold on all of us long enough that panic started to creep up the back of my neck and radiate outward.

There was nothing I hated more than being controlled against my will. Not even raisins hidden in cookies in place of chocolate chips could compete.

This was right up there with stealing my ability to swear. Making me wear a stupid uniform. Taking away my ability to move ... he was just proving how little freedom we actually had.

“There is a reason we have rules in magic. Without them, it would be impossible to track, and chaos would reign. The Senate strictly forbids it, and the last thing we need is them coming down on the school and poking their noses around. We’re lucky they didn’t come already after last night.”

I could feel the weight of my housemates’ stares and my throat began to close. Was he going to tell them? That I’d been more than ready to abandon them all, not knowing whether I was the chosen one? Not knowing if they had what it took to defeat Nocta without me?

Tarquinius continued, his voice gentling. “If you just open your mind to doing things the way you were taught, the way it’s always been done, maybe it will come easier.”

The breath that had been suspended in my lungs suddenly released, coming out in a whoosh, and I yanked my hand down to hide my trembling.

Ten.

Nine.

Eight.

“I understand that’s the way it’s been done in the past. But this way is so much faster, and we seem to be having trouble –” I managed, relieved that my voice wasn’t choked.

“We can’t go changing everything just because your classmates are struggling. It’s up to them to figure out how to do it ... the correct way.” He sighed heavily. “As difficult as it is, we need you to keep pushing through the difficulties. You all need to put more effort in.”

Effort. As if we weren’t sweating and not-cursing every time we had to cast a rune that didn’t work?

I wasn’t backing down. What was he going to do, kick me out?

In my dreams.

“This is literally our first lesson trying to go faster, and if the goal is speed, then surely, we need to explore every option, even if it means breaking the rules. Because as far as I can tell, Nocta’s not following the rules .

.. Central Park is gone because everyone follows the rules except him,” I shrugged.

“We’re all just out here trying our best. Sir. ”

He stared at me for a long moment and then nodded as if he’d come to some sort of decision then and there.

“And you seem to think your best is better than mine ... is that it, Ms. Daygon? Your shoddy street magic can top centuries of tradition and practice?” He swept his gaze around the room, and he smiled before turning his eyes back on me. “Let’s see it, then. Spar with me.”

Bad idea. Terrible id–

“Sure. What the hell?”

His lips twitching into a smile as he waved me toward him and I steeled myself, already on guard.

But apparently not on guard enough.

His gnarled fingers twitched almost imperceptibly, and my legs shot out from under me as I went sailing across the room.

Luckily, depending on whether you were me or Doyen Bob, I bounced off the combat instructor and managed to stay on my feet instead of hitting the wall.

Still, the contact knocked the wind out of me.

A second strike hammered me from behind, sweeping my legs out from under me.

I hit the ground like a sack of stones and let out a grunt.

“Strength is important, Harlow, but the faster wizard will typically prevail.”

I stood again to face him. And, this time, when he lifted a hand, I was ready for his crusty asterisk. He thought he could just pin us down, when if he would let us do things our way, we could truly soar, maybe we’d even have a chance at facing down Nocta.

If only we could be free of the confines they’d placed on us! The anger burned in my gut, the knowledge that we were better than all this driving me.

He flung a spell my way, and I whipped off a speedy block rune just in time to send his attack skittering away in a spray of sparks, harmlessly falling to the ground at my feet. Granted, he surely wasn’t going full power, but I couldn’t deny. It felt good.

A hush fell over the room as Tarquinius cocked his head and studied me like I was an insect he’d caught beneath a glass. I felt the weight of a second set of eyes on me and looked to see Typhon’s hulking form against the wall by the door.

When had he come in? And more importantly, what was he doing here?

As I examined him closer, I realized he looked utterly exhausted. Dark shadows under his eyes, hair mussed.

I tugged my gaze away, cheeks burning as I tried to pretend I hadn’t even seen him. Given that my pulse was suddenly pounding like I’d run fifty laps, and my palms were sweating, it definitely wasn’t working.

If I got through this day without winding up dead or in fetal position on the floor of my shower, it would be a miracle. But in for a penny ...

“I don’t get it. I heard you won’t let Doyen O’Connor help find our Quirks anymore, you won’t let me do magic my own way.” I crossed my arms over my chest with a bravado I definitely didn’t feel. “How are we supposed to help defeat Nocta if you won’t even let us see what we’re truly capable of?”

Energy crackled in the air between me and Tarquinius, and I tried to read the expressions that flitted across his face. Anger, to be sure. Irritation by the bucket-loads. And just maybe a hint of something like respect?

“The day I start running this place on the advice of a former student is the day I resign. Because you had the audacity ... and character ... to stand up for your fellow classmates, I’ll let you off with a warning, Ms. Daygon.

Next time you defy me, detention will seem like a fantasy.

” He sliced a hand through the air. “Class dismissed.”

Dismissed early again? Just where did he have to be that was more important than teaching the supposed saviors of the Dwimmer world?

With that, the Sage swept from the room, Typhon falling into step beside him.

“You were awesome out there,” Fable whispered, eyes wide.

“Amazing,” Zeed said, nodding as he shouldered his bag.

Marina squeezed my shoulder and offered me a grateful smile. “Thanks for having our backs, Harlow.”

It was those words I tried to hold close to my chest to get me through the rest of the day, but by the time I climbed into bed that night, I felt like I’d been through the wringer and back again.

Too many terrible days strung together and I was holding on by a thread.

Bandit climbed up and settled on top of my head, like a slightly musty, ‘coon-tailed hat.

I thought about shaking him off, but then realized I wanted him there.

I buried my face in his fur and let the tears finally leak out.

When we failed – and we would, at this rate – everyone in this school would be in mortal danger. Including Opie. As guilty as I felt about leaving my new friends behind, I had to be the family that Opie deserved but never had. The one to put her first.

“I don’t care if she hates me forever. I need to figure out how to get the fruck out of this hellscape of a place before it’s too late.”