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  He leaned down, kissed me on the cheek, and walked off. I bit my lower lip and smiled. He was cute.

  I got up, dusting myself off, before walking into my tent and waving my wand, it changing me into my pajamas and hopping back onto my cot. I’d finally gotten used to it, and it was better than my old mattress anyhow. I picked up the spell book I’d gotten from Britta and spent the rest of the night studying before falling asleep. I couldn’t wait to see what Blake came up with.

  9

  Studying and schooling became more intense than ever over the next two weeks. Ms. Moon had left the picture; the council felt her strengths were better suited for the other students than us, and we were assigned a variety of teachers and tutors who were devoting their lives over the next two weeks to preparing us for the herculean task awaiting us.

  Mirian taught me spells personally, at least for part of every day. He led me in the ways of his teachings that his mentors had passed on to him. “Try to imagine yourself as gone—invisible, if you will,” he said as he tried to teach me how to go into the shadows like he’d done when he was in my motel room that night.

  “I’m trying,” I said, squinting, trying to picture myself as disappeared.

  “You’re like the wind, moving around, your physical body shrouded by a darkness that cannot be seen by the naked eye. You are hidden, a chameleon of a mage, able to strike your opponent at any time.”

  “I’m a shadow,” I whispered, draining myself of any emotion or stress like he’d said earlier. I felt a small sensation in my feet and shins, like they were made of air and I would float away if I didn’t grab onto something.

  “You’re doing it, you’re drifting,” he said, and I broke focus to see. I saw a shroud around my feet and legs before it vanished, like a gust of wind blew it all away. I bit the inside of my cheeks, more disappointed than anything.

  “It’s okay, you’ll get it eventually. You shouldn’t, but you will,” he said.

  “Why shouldn’t I? Isn’t that the point of the lesson?” I asked.

  “It’s advanced magic that should take a mage’s lifetime to fully master. A girl of your schooling shouldn’t be able to do anything more than make a toe turn, let alone almost her entire bottom half. More proof of your potential,” he said, patting me on the shoulder. “Go take a break with the others. We will pick up again soon.”

  “How did you do that?” Britta asked as I walked over.

  “What?” I asked.

  “The shadow drifting. I saw it and I wouldn’t believe it if I hadn’t,” she said.

  “I don’t know, I just did,” I said, shrugging a little.

  “Lexa, that’s very advanced stuff. How are you so good?” Blake asked.

  I remembered the mark of Merlin and what Mirian said about it being special and secret. I wanted to tell them, to out myself and share my excitement, but I was forbidden to do that and it royally sucked. I knew that had to play a part in all this since my powers were amplified by the mark, but I had to keep my mouth shut and just act like it was all luck.

  “I study a lot at night and take a bunch of notes, I guess?” I said, trying to play it off like I just worked hard.

  “Well, whatever it is, keep doing it, because it’s going to bode very well for us once we ship off,” Britta said.

  “I hope we all get paired together in some way,” Blake said.

  “You four will, but I won’t,” Faus said, looking a bit discouraged. I knew what he said was true, even if I wanted to just be supportive and deny it. He wasn’t like us, and that wasn’t a bad thing; his strengths didn’t lie in the field. Shifters and especially mages were in high demand, Mirian had said, and I knew that we would be put on a beat right away.

  “We’ll all stay together no matter what. We aren’t going to stop being friends just because of working in different departments,” Britta said, comforting him.

  “I have to agree with Britta here. We won’t be working all the time, and besides, we’re like a little family, in a way,” Charlie said.

  “Whoa, wait, is Charlie getting sappy?” Blake asked.

  “Okay, first of all, no,” Charlie said, laughing a little. “I’m not getting sappy, just realistic. You guys are my friends, my only friends, and that’s not going to go away just because of working in different departments. We’ll all be okay, I know it.”

  Just as we were having a moment, I looked off casually to the side and saw Lyon staring at us. He looked as if he were staring with intent, not just walking by, but when he noticed me staring at him he quickly looked away. Nobody stared off like that unless they were plotting something. I knew there was a reason to hate that guy.

  “Lyon was just looking at us. I hope he isn’t going to be a problem,” I said.

  “He’s been awful quiet lately with everything that’s been going on. He’s always a problem,” Blake said.

  “You know what, let me see what I can find out about him,” I said, rubbing my hands together.

  “No, you’re not going to,” Charlie said.

  “I won’t steal anything, just rummage around a bit,” I said.

  “I thought you left that behind,” Britta said.

  “I did, but this guy is up to something, and it’s better to be ready for it when it happens,” I said.

  I watched Lyon that night, making sure he was out and about, and surely enough he was. I kept to the shadows, something I’d almost mastered as a thief. I felt alive when the rush came over me again. I wasn’t planning on stealing anything from him, unless it was too juicy to give up, but I did need to go through his things and see what I could find.

  With him in full spirits with his friends, I slid back and walked over to his tent, my hood up to obscure my face from passersby so they wouldn’t be able to identify me in case anything happened. You never know. Rain fell down around me, making the walkway slightly muddy. When I got to his tent I peeked around to make sure nobody was near. There was no one.

  I drifted inside. His tent was neat and orderly, almost too neat, like I was entering the den of a neurotic serial killer. There wasn’t a speck of dust inside, which was hard to obtain living where we did. Old spell books were stacked in ascending size on his nightstand. There was an old chest with a golden lock that was weathered and slightly chipped. “Jackpot,” I whispered under my breath.

  I tried to open the lid, but it didn’t budge. It felt as though it were cemented shut rather than just locked. I pulled out my wand, pointing and flicking it. The lock clicked. The lid opened, and much to my surprise, it was all junk. There were letters, some clothes, old books, and even some snacks that he must have smuggled in. “There has to be more,” I said, moving to his desk. I opened the drawers, making sure to keep the contents in place, which was something I’d learned during my tenure. Anything out of place meant me getting caught.

  As I felt around the drawer, the tip of my knuckle brushed against something that seemed a bit odd. It was metallic, slightly large, and round. I pulled it out. It was the coin of the duskhowlers. It had their symbol on it, a moth with glowing eyes, and their inscription in Latin. No, it couldn’t be. I knew Lyon was a jerk, but this? This had to be a mistake.

  Floored, I stood there for a second before I heard a noise. Somebody was saying his name, laughing, shouting, like they were joking around with him. He was coming. I shut the drawer, closed the lid on the chest, and reversed my spell to lock it again. I slipped out the front, walking slowly past him. He didn’t even notice me with my head down and hood drawn.

  With rain pouring around me, I pulled out the coin, droplets of water splashing on top of it. I flipped it around in my hand and gripped it again. I had to tell somebody about this. I couldn’t leave this to myself.

  Faus, Britta, Charlie, and Blake were all studying for the upcoming trials as I walked in the room. I pulled down my now soaked hood as they waved from within a sea of other students in the room. “Where are your books?” Britta asked as I walked up.

  “I foun
d something,” I said quietly.

  “You didn’t, you know, do it?” Blake asked.

  “I did, and it’s not good. I got out just in time,” I said.

  “He didn’t see you, did he? Oh god, he did,” Faus said.

  “No, he didn’t see me. He passed right by me, and he was preoccupied to say the least. But I found this,” I said, sliding the coin onto the table. “But we have to be quiet, I don’t want to alert anybody.”

  “Is that a—”

  “Duskhowler logo, I know. I found it hidden in his desk, where nobody could find it—or should find it, rather. I guess he didn’t count on somebody like me coming in and rummaging around,” I said.

  “We have to show this to the chancellor,” Britta said.

  “And how do we explain it? Are we going to tell her that Lexa broke into another student’s quarters and went through his things?” Faus asked.

  “No, but I think she’ll forgive her given the circumstances,” Charlie said. “We have proof that he’s a snake and a traitor. You know what, I bet he’s the reason they attacked us. How else would they find us unless somebody gave them our location?”

  “Charlie’s right about that. It’s pretty damning evidence,” Blake said.

  “I don’t know, I still think it’s a bad idea. She’s going to be livid,” Britta said.

  “That’s why I just need to be honest with her. I think she’d value that and see that I was just doing something good. Maybe she’ll be so mad at him that she’ll forget about me,” I said hopefully.

  “Whatever you do, just don’t accuse yourself of anything. The less details the better,” Faus said, pushing up his glasses. “When are you going to tell her?”

  “I think she’s still in the council tent. I could just do it now,” I said.

  “I’d wait until morning. Figure out what you’re going to say, and if you still even want to do it,” Blake said.

  “Maybe you’re right, maybe that’s the best choice. I need to sleep on it,” I said, picking up the coin and slipping it back into my pocket. “I just hope I’m right about this.”

  10

  I stood at the door to Chancellor Pote’s tent, the same one I’d been in twice before. I took in a deep breath and walked inside. She was there, going over papers. She peeked up to see me walk in. “How’s training going? Shouldn’t you be there now?” she asked, setting down her work.

  “I had something important to talk to you about, so I took some time off to come and do so. It’s urgent,” I said, stepping forward.

  “Okay, that’s troubling. What is it?” she asked.

  I hesitated, at this point more afraid for myself than anything, because I knew what I did was against the camp’s policy. It wasn’t a huge crime, but I was also reinforcing the stereotype of what I was and not what I’d become while I’d been here.

  “I was in Lyon’s tent last night and came across this,” I said, pulling out the coin and setting it on her desk. She looked confused, touching the coin, rolling it around to read all of it before looking me in the eyes.

  “He gave you this?” she asked.

  “No, he doesn’t know that I have it. I wasn’t exactly there when he was,” I said, grimacing.

  “I’m confused. You were snooping through his tent? For what reason, exactly?” she asked.

  “For this reason, I guess. A lot of people believe that he isn’t good, and that he’s been a double agent, so to speak, so I wanted to try to find evidence against him,” I said.

  “Pial,” she said, calling a guard inside.

  “Yes, Chancellor?” he asked.

  “Could you please summon Lyon Remington at once, please? I need to speak with him,” she said.

  The guard nodded before leaving the tent. “I’m sorry—”

  “Stop, we will figure this out right away. If you believe Lyon is working against us, then he must be punished,” she said.

  Within five minutes of me standing around awkwardly, waiting for Lyon to show up, he walked through the tent, looking confused. “I was told something was the matter, Chancellor?” he asked, looking even more confused when he saw me standing there.

  “What is this?” she asked, sliding the coin to the front of her desk.

  “I—I don’t know, ma’am, I’ve never seen that before. It looks like something to do with the duskhowlers, though,” he said.

  “This was found in your tent, I believe in your desk. Can you explain that?” she asked.

  “It isn’t mine, I can assure you—were you going through my belongings, though?” he asked, looking at me.

  “If it isn’t yours, Lyon, then how did it end up in your tent, hidden from plain sight?” she asked, diverting his attention from me.

  “My parents bought me this desk when I came here. They got it from a secondhand shop, so anything hidden inside, as you say, could’ve easily been placed there by a previous owner. I can assure you that neither I nor my parents have anything to do with the duskhowlers, though,” he said.

  I didn’t believe him, not one bit. I’d been around people like him most of my life—cheats, liars, the worst of the worst—and he was just like them. There wasn’t possibly a way that he was innocent. That coin was too new when I picked it up.

  “Chancellor, may I say something?” I asked.

  “You may,” she replied.

  “When I found that coin, it didn’t have any dust or signs of age on it, it was as if it had just been placed there, not like it had been sitting there for as long as Lyon is claiming,” I said.

  “I appreciate the disclosure, Lexa, but I have no way of verifying that, I’m sorry. I’m going out on a limb even believing that you found this in his quarters, so don’t attempt to push your luck with me. Lyon, you’re dismissed,” she said bluntly. He turned around, a sour look on his face, and exited the tent.

  “I’m sorry—”

  “I don’t need your apologies. I’m going to let this slide, considering what Mirian has told me about your abilities and how you’re progressing. It’s for the greater good of us all that you and your friends are able to get into M.A.G.I.C. If, however, you pull a stunt like this again, you can consider yourself under arrest for violating the governing laws of our establishment. Do I make myself clear?” she asked, a stern look on her face making my stomach squirm slightly.

  “Yes, I understand, Chancellor. It won’t happen again,” I said softly.

  “Good, now please leave my chambers,” she said. I turned and walked outside.

  “I knew there was something about you,” Lyon said, startling me as he stood outside the tent waiting for me.

  “I know what you are, Lyon. You might fool her, but not me,” I said.

  “I have no clue what you’re talking about,” he said, a smug smile on his face like he’d just gotten away with murder. Well, I guess he had, considering his people came and attacked us, killing our own.

  “One day you’ll slip up, and I’ll be there. I promise you that,” I said, scowling.

  “Can’t wait,” he said, walking off with his hands in his pockets and whistling.

  I knew it wasn’t going to be easy, but I planned on keeping my word no matter what. I’d have a lot of resources at M.A.G.I.C., and I planned to use them to leverage my revenge. It might sound harsh, but if he really was a duskhowler, then he needed to pay the price of that membership. I wouldn’t accept anything less.

  “We need to speak,” Mirian said to all of us a few days later.

  Sweating from sparring, we sat down on the ground and looked up at him. His facial expression was serious and stern . “Your time is here. Tomorrow morning, you’ll be leaving the camp,” he said.

  “It’s time? I thought we’d have a little longer,” Blake said.

  “The trials start tomorrow, and you all need to be there. Another set of trials won’t commence for at least another month, and we don’t have that long. I suggest you finish up the most important parts of your training today, eat a lot, and get rest b
ecause we leave at sunrise,” he said.

  “Will you be there?” Faus asked.

  “No, I won’t, at least not right away. I secured myself into the second trial for judging, so I’ll be able to pass you all for that, so long as you don’t screw up too much. I’ll speak with you all soon,” he said, walking away quickly.

  “I can’t believe it,” I said, shaking my head.

  “Are we ready?” Charlie asked.

  “Is anybody? We’re still miles ahead of other off-the-street recruits coming in,” Britta said.

  “It’s not just about the trials, though. It’s the death of this version of us, this chapter, and the start of a new one,” Charlie said.

  “That’s quite poetic for somebody like you,” Faus said.

  “He’s right, though. No more camp, no more tents, no more mess hall or anything else of that sort. We’ll be working all day, working for M.A.G.I.C. no less, and living an adult life. It’s all changing,” I said.

  “We’ll still have one another, though. I know it,” Blake said, putting his arm around Charlie and me.

  “It’s been fun, having friends like you guys. It’s usually not easy for me to make friends, but I’m glad I did,” Faus said.

  “Group hug?” Britta asked, smiling from ear to ear, a rogue tear in her eye.

  “Oh, fine,” Charlie said with an exasperated tone before getting up.

  We all hugged, our heads together. A feeling of warmth came over me. My heart felt full. For a girl who’d always spent her time alone, not trusting anybody, this was all right.

  We spent the rest of the afternoon and night studying last-minute things, sitting around a table in the mess tent even after it closed. Mirian let us stay longer, knowing how important it was for us to stay ready.

  I yawned, my eyes watering, before looking at the time. It was eleven.

  “We better get to bed. We only have six or seven hours until we have to leave,” I said, closing my books.

  They all agreed, and we got up and walked towards the door. Blake stopped, turned, and looked around the tent. “I’m really going to miss this place,” he said before turning and walking off, leaving me where I stood.