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Typhon stared him down until Zeed looked like he’d shrunk five inches. “The rule of two is still being observed as you are all here with your partners. Not to mention, you are with me on what will be an instructional field trip.”

Zeed’s Adam’s apple bobbed. “Yes, of course, sir.”

“Any other questions?”

His query was met with silence. We might not have the whole rune-making thing down yet, but we weren’t stup–

“I did have one more question, sir,” Zeed said. “Is this ... is this the Dark Wood?”

Typhon didn’t bother trying to hide his impatience. “It is.”

The other students gasped and started murmuring to each other as I turned to Fable.

“What’s the Dark Wood?”

She shook her head, suddenly looking really nervous.

“It’s where the shadow creatures hide. I know you weren’t at Neverthorn for very long, but I can promise you, this wasn’t here when I was going to school the first time around.

We all thought it was a myth. Like some old lady’s house in an Unlit neighborhood that everyone thought was haunted, you know? ”

“Like other areas of the island, it’s kept shielded from your view as a way to keep nosy students from exploring where they shouldn’t,” Typhon explained. “I’m allowing you to see it now as it suits our needs. All done with the questions?”

But he didn’t wait for responses as he led the way into the thickest part of the treeline, and we all followed. Like good little lambs, hopefully not to slaughter.

The second we stepped into the woods, the thicket of trees choked out most of the waning daylight and the temperature seemed to drop ten degrees.

The croaking of toads, leaves that had fallen to the ground crackling under the footsteps of creatures I didn’t even want to consider, were the only noises.

“Gotta admit, I used to live in the woods, and this is a little creepy, even for me,” Bandit said, pressing closer to my calves.

Ahead, a dim light flickered as Typhon lit the way with an illuminating rune.

“Not far now, just a couple hundred yards.”

It felt like way further as we pushed through the thick vegetation, just waiting for ... something to leap out and grab one of us like a snack off a conveyor belt.

By the time we all stepped into the clearing, I was lightheaded from lack of oxygen, and I realized I’d been holding my breath the last few feet.

Typhon tossed the light he created into the center of the space and stood beside it. “We are here because this is one of the few places that the school’s protective wards cannot reach.”

Zeed’s eyes went wide, and Marina stepped closer to give his shoulder a supportive squeeze.

“To this point, I’ve had you all wrapped in a protective rune of my own. In order to show you why I brought you all here, though, I need to let it fall away. I will be within view of you at all times and you have my solemn vow that there is nothing in these woods bigger or badder than me.”

Despite my nerves, something in his tone sent an ache deep in my belly as I tried not to think about just how big ... just how bad he could be.

Goddess, I was on a path of self-destruction if I kept up that line of thought.

“If you’re sure you can protect us all ...” Ellie said, joining Marina in giving Zeed a pat of reassurance.

Typhon didn’t bother to answer.

We formed a loose circle around him, and he fashioned a quick rune with his left hand. There was a ripple through the air, a feeling like wings brushing over my face, and then it was gone.

“Hold your bracer arms out.” Typhon said.

Everyone did, and he went around the circle, whipping off a rune over each one, until each of the bracers was on the ground. Mine included.

No one said anything, but more than one set of eyes widened.

“Now I can explain what we’re doing here. Actually, maybe it would be quicker just to show you.” He turned to me and cocked his head, something like a smile playing at his firm lips. “Harlow?”

Butterfly wings beat against my chest as I stepped forward to join him.

“Just . . . anything?”

“Anything you’ve been taught to do the proper way,” he said.

I chewed on the inside of my cheek as I thought of some of the runes we had been working on over the past couple of weeks.

A firefly flitted past, and I lifted my hand, settling on a gathering and duplicating spell.

I let my breath out in a whoosh and forced my fingers to make the shapes required.

A slash. A circular flourish. A pinching of my first two fingers and my thumb.

Nothing.

“You’ve got the first two backward,” Typhon called. “Flip them around and try again.”

I bit my lower lip, frowning in concentration.

Then I repeated the rune, following Typhon’s directives.

Suddenly tiny lights flickered toward me.

First a few, then a few dozen. I could hear the gasps of my housemates around me as the tiny creatures illuminated the night like fairy lights on a Christmas tree.

“Holy crap, Harlow. That’s awesome ...” a low voice whispered.

I was too focused on the magic to reply. Watching as the metallic crimson sparks skittered off my fingertips. Feeling the power down to my bones.

All the confusion and clumsiness that I felt in class was nowhere to be found. Just like the night with Typhon at the river, I was free .

Typhon spoke softly behind me. “There were some spells that were put on the House of Phoenix students due to events of the past. They were supposed to have been removed, but my theory is that they weren’t. Not fully, at least.”

“I knew it,” Phyllis muttered.

“With your bracers removed, the spell used to mute your skills is off. At least as best as I can tell.” Typhon continued. “So far, we’ve only got Harlow as proof of my theory. Who wants to go next?”

Every hand shot up with the exception of Phyllis’s. Typhon beckoned Fable toward us first, and she rushed to join us.

“Go on. Any rune you’re sure you know the proper movements for, even if you’ve failed at it in the past.”

She scrunched her eyes tight and then lifted her hands.

Within a few short movements, I wanted to let out a whoop.

It wasn’t just me. It was working for Fable, too.

The magic burst from her fingers and an instant later, the fireflies gathered in front of us began to move in sync.

Left to right, then forward and back, then in a wild and dizzying dance.

“Awesome, Fable!”

“How does it feel?” Gary called softly.

“It’s ... amazing.” Fable’s throat was clogged with unshed tears, and I almost leaned in to hug her.

Typhon waved the others forward, encouraging them to try their hand at it.

By the time Zeed stepped up, it was like some sort of nerdy, magical rave.

Fable and I handled the light show while Marina’s magic had the trees waving their branches like arms, conducting Gary’s orchestra of crunching leaves and whistling blades of grass, and Ellie’s tiny little tornadoes that whipped around us.

Caterina had the night birds swooping around us, singing.

As for Phyllis, she tapped her toe, grinning like a fool, though she used no magic that I could see.

“Oh no,” Fable whispered, pulling my attention from the matriarch of our little group.

“What’s the matter?”

She jerked her chin toward Zeed, who stood a little off to the side, his fingers flying as he tried to join in. Like most of our magic before we had our bracers off, it was nothing but a smattering of sparks. Enough for a short burst or a quick parlor trick before fizzling out.

I was about to go over to Zeed, but Typhon was already heading toward him. He was only a few feet away when he stopped short and wheeled around, hands high. The music, the lightshow, the dancing fireflies ...

It all stopped as an inky darkness closed over us and my heart stuttered to a halt.

“Don’t move,” he hissed.

I wondered briefly if peeing my pants would be considered moving but decided to keep the question to myself.

He whipped off a shielding rune and let out a breath. “We’re fine. It’s alright.”

But even as he spoke, the sound of footsteps on leaves ... big footsteps, had me shivering.

“What was that?” Fable asked, moving closer to press against my side.

“Wolf,” Bandit said, lifting onto all fours and sniffing the air.

The noise grew louder and a pair of glittering, red eyes came into view just a few yards from where we stood.

Wolf my ass. It was frucking massive. The size of a Chevy, its teeth bared and gleaming.

“What should we do?” Zeed demanded through gritted teeth.

“We’re doing it,” Typhon said. “He smells us on the wind, but he can’t see or hear us anymore. Once he’s satisfied his curiosity, he’ll go away.”

I trusted Typhon’s word on that, but there was no denying that all of us, including him, let out massive sighs of relief when the animal finally loped off in search of easier prey.

“Alright, then. I think I’ve made my point. You are all far stronger than you’ve been led to believe. Including you, Zeed. I think nerves got the best of you tonight, and if not for our visitor, you’d have come through. We’ll try again another time.”

Wow. That was ... nice? I almost asked him who he was and what he’d done with the real Typhon.

He turned to the rest of us. “As for my theory about the muting wards, I’m still working out what to do with that knowledge. For the time being, let’s keep it between us.”

Meaning he didn’t know who could be trusted here at Neverthorn.

“What I’d like to do for now so you can at least start to really get down to work is put a charm on your bracers.

You’ll still be wearing them, so no one should be the wiser.

I just want to loosen them enough to get them away from your skin .

.. create like a magical barrier so you can access your magic better. Everyone okay with that?”

We all nodded as one. Reluctance in every move, we each put the bracers back on, and stuck our arms out a second time.

Typhon started with Zeed and moved down the line, throwing a quick and elegant rune to loosen our bracers. He spoke as he did, not missing a beat.

“I also need to approach O’Connor and see how something like this might have affected your potential Quirks. Maybe next time, he can join us. But at least we’ve got a starting point.”

I was last to go, and I couldn’t deny it. Even though the change was subtle on a physical level, mentally, I felt ... freed when the leather came away from my skin. Like I was born again.

Typhon held my gaze, and I knew he could sense how I felt. I couldn’t help but wonder if I’d imagined the graze of his thumb against my wrist as he pulled away ...

“Let’s head back and get a good night’s sleep.”

Now that the danger of being eviscerated by the world’s biggest carnivore had passed, everyone began chatting about their newfound skills.

For the rest of the walk back to the school, they talked about runes they wanted to try next time.

Zeed kept to himself and as much as I wanted to give him another pep talk, I knew if I’d been in his position, that would be the last thing I wanted.

We stepped through the front doors a short while later, exhausted but most of us giddy with our newfound knowledge, and I set my sights on Phyllis as she headed off toward her quarters alone.

I’d learned more than just some new magic tonight.

I’d also realized that Phyllis was the key to a lot of things.

She’d figured out exactly what had been happening with the blocks put on House Phoenix before Typhon had spilled the beans, and I couldn’t imagine that was all she knew.

It was time to spend some one-on-one time with Phyllis and get to know more about her . ..

And more about the secrets that were hiding here at Neverthorn Academy.