The three of them headed toward the academy. They had not walked far before a group of girls, some from their year, others all the way too what looked to be girls form the sixth year, approached Sabrina.

  “Can we talk to you for a moment?” one of them asked.

  Sabrina looked slightly embarrassed, but there was a pleased, knowing light in her eyes, as if she had expected this to happen sooner or later. She agreed and turned back to the boys.

  “Wait for me here, okay?” she said before joining the group and walking off with them.

  “So we’re going to follow them, right?” Todd asked.

  “Why would we do such a thing?” Cassian replied.

  “Well, because they’re obviously going to talk about you.”

  Cassian raised an eyebrow. “So?”

  “Seriously? It’s a bunch of girls talking about you. Doesn’t that make you curious?”

  Cassian considered this. He was certain he had not let anything slip in front of Sabrina, so whatever they discussed could not be anything dangerous. And if it was not dangerous, then he truly did not care.

  “Let’s go! Come on!” Todd said, already hurrying ahead.

  Cassian, not understanding why this was such a big deal, followed anyway.

  The girls had not gone far. To avoid being spotted, Todd dove into a nearby classroom and motioned for Cassian to join him. From behind the half-open door, they began listening.

  “You have to tell us how you did it,” one girl said breathlessly. “How did you get close to the Scion of Steel Blue?”

  Sabrina sounded a little embarrassed. “It was really easy. He’s actually very nice.”

  “But how can you even speak to him?” another girl asked. “When he looks at you with those eyes, don’t you get all tongue-tied?”

  Sabrina paused. “A little, I won’t deny.”

  This was followed by a storm of giggles and excited whispers.

  “Oh, his eyes are just unfair.”

  “And the way he looks at people, all calm and serious…”

  “I wish he’d look at me like that, just once.”

  A sixth-year girl sighed dramatically. “Honestly, he’s already more handsome than all the boys in my year, and he’s only ten. It’s not right.”

  More squeals.

  Todd leaned back from the door with a sour expression. “You were right. This is really boring. Let’s just go.”

  The two boys sneaked back toward the entrance of the tower, leaving the chorus of admiration behind, but something the girls had said lingered in Cassian’s mind. “Hey, Todd?” he asked.

  Todd, still looking annoyed for reasons Cassian could not begin to guess, snapped, “What?”

  “What is that… Scion of Steel Blue thing?” Cassian asked earnestly.

  “Oh, that?” Todd said with a shrug. “It’s just a dumb name one girl started using for you. Then all the girls picked it up, like they were giving you an epithet or something. The worst part is, some of the guys started using it too, and it caught on.”

  “You seem really annoyed about it,” Cassian observed.

  “No, I’m not. I mean, it’s a nice epithet, you know? You deserve a nice one.” Todd hesitated. “It’s just… girls can be really dumb sometimes, let me tell you…”

  Todd spent the rest of the walk complaining about girls and how silly they were and how they acted. Cassian stopped listening midway and began thinking about something else entirely.

  His eyes.

  He had always known he used them, but he had never realized how important they were as a tool. A look that made people hesitate, a gaze that kept them at a distance. That was power of a different kind. He would have to refine it. Making people step back with nothing but a glance sounded just as effective as any magic he had ever heard of.

  But something strange was happening today. He noticed it as soon as Sabrina rejoined them. As they made their way to their first class, The Mysteries of Numbers, one of the girls from his year approached him.

  “Hi, Cassian,” she said.

  Cassian turned to her, and remembering his courtesy, smiled. “Hello, Renee.”

  Renee blushed furiously, as if his answer had not been the most natural response in the world.

  “I-I-I I’ll see you in cl-class,” she stammered before hurrying away.

  And then it happened again. And again.

  Students wished him a good morning, asked if he had done well on his homework, complained about how difficult the subject was, wished for him to have a good day. Too many voices, too many smiles. Cassian could only think of one thing.

  “Sycophants,” he muttered aloud, remembering the word he had looked up in his encyclopedia the night before.

  “What did you say?” Todd asked. “Picofants? What’s that mean?”

  Cassian ignored him. There was something else, something far more unnerving. It had taken him more than a year to establish this reputation, to become this so-called Scion of Steel Blue. Yet in barely thirty minutes of walking with two people who seemed close to him, that entire image was beginning to shatter. It reinforced what Cassian had always believed. The moment they realized he had no great magical aptitude, not even adequate aptitude, his reputation would crumble to dust. He needed to remember how dangerous this situation was.

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  One mistake, and it would all be over.

  He also needed to reclaim what he had lost. He decided he preferred being admired from afar far more than being surrounded by sycophants. Cassian made a resolution. He would spend the rest of the day in class without speaking to anyone. Not Sabrina. Not Todd. He would act as he always had. The three entered the classroom, and Cassian took his seat. But before he could put his resolution to the test, another teacher stepped in.

  “I’m sorry, Professor Aitor, I’m going to need to borrow Mr. Vianmova.”

  Professor Aitor stroked his long beard. “But of course. Cassian, you are dismissed.”

  Cassian closed his eyes for a brief second, then composed himself and stood.

  “Good to meet you, young Cassian,” the woman said. “I am Professor Lauren of Transformation Magic. We will be seeing each other next year, but for now I am here to escort you to the trial grounds. We want to explain how the Special Quest will work this year. If you’ll follow me.”

  Cassian said nothing and followed the professor out of the room. They walked in silence through the wide corridors of the Tower of Wisdom until they reached the Cognit, a small room used to traverse the different floors of the tower of wisdom quickly and efficiently. Its doors shimmered like polished glass, runes faintly glowing along the frame.

  Professor Lauren gestured for him to step inside. The Cognit was quiet, almost dull, the air within still and cool. The professor entered after him and placed her hand against a crystal panel.

  “Ascend to the fifteenth floor, please.”

  The moment the doors closed, the floor of the Cognit began to glow with a soft aqua light. Thin lines of runes traced themselves across the glassy surface, spiraling upward like gentle waves. The ascent was smooth, almost weightless, as if the tower itself were breathing and carrying them along. Cassian watched the numbers shimmer one by one. Fifth. Tenth. Then, finally, fifteenth.

  The light faded, and the doors opened without a sound. Professor Lauren stepped out first, and Cassian followed. They walked only a short distance before stopping in front of a massive gate, tall enough for a giant to pass through. Its surface was carved with ancient symbols and interlocking patterns that seemed to shift when looked at for too long.

  The professor reached into the sleeve of her robe and produced a slender wand. With a small motion, she tapped the air. The gates answered immediately, opening with a deep, graceful rumble. Inside was a vast chamber with no visible ceiling. The space stretched upward into darkness, as if the room had no end at all. Arcane lights embedded in the floor and along the walls gave off a gentle glow, just enough to reveal the enormous scale of the place.

  Three grand arches stood within the chamber. One directly opposite the entrance. Two others at the sides, facing one another like silent watchers. And in the center of the room waited two other teachers. Cassian barely noticed them. His stomach flipped the instant his eyes found the other figures standing there.

  Athena and Siegfried.

  Why couldn’t we do this separately? Cassian thought, dismayed. He forced himself to calm down. There were three professors here. It was very unlikely Athena would try anything. He just had to keep at least one teacher between himself and her.

  Professor Lauren gestured for him to follow her deeper into the room to join the others. Cassian obeyed, doing his best to keep a step behind her, but when they reached the center of the chamber, she took him gently by the elbow and pushed him forward so that he stood face to face with his cousins.

  Siegfried barely acknowledged him, offering only a small nod. Athena, however, surprised him by stepping in close and wrapping her arms around him.

  “I’m so glad to see you, little cousin,” she said sweetly.

  Cassian froze. He did not understand what she was doing, why she had suddenly decided to act as if she did not absolutely despise him. Confused, he Managed only, “Me too.”

  One of the professors, a younger man with bright green hair, smiled warmly at the display.

  “Very good, very good,” he said. “It was those close family ties that helped us decide on the three of you. Your bond will surely aid you during the quest.”

  The last professor, a rough-looking man with a long scar across his face, crossed his arms.

  “Yes, that’s all very nice, but let us not get distracted, Professor Semperoblitus.”

  The green-haired professor scratched the back of his head.

  “Ah, sorry, sorry. I got carried away.” He cleared his throat and continued. “Welcome, selected students, to the trial grounds. Mr. Siegfried, you have been here before. Do you notice anything different?”

  Siegfried looked around. “Only everything. Last time I was here the place was a wild maze of towering vines, choking roots, and beasts with too many teeth.”

  “Yes, yes, we did quite a bit of remodeling,” Semperoblitus said cheerfully. “Normally this would be the moment for you to become acquainted with the environment you would face, but we wanted to do something special this year.”

  He gestured grandly at the chamber. “Do you notice anything unusual about this room, Mr. Siegfried?”

  “It’s empty,” Siegfried answered flatly.

  “Well, yes, but what else? Don’t those arches make you curious? What do you think they are for?”

  “How should I know?” Siegfried replied, clearly tired of the game.

  “Oh, come on, just think about it for a second,” Semperoblitus urged, still brimming with excitement.

  Siegfried gave him an impatient look so cold that the professor actually took a small step back. Cassian decided to intervene.

  “They look like teleportation gates,” he said.

  “Exactly!” Semperoblitus exclaimed, relieved that someone had given the answer he wanted. “Good job, Mr. Cassian. We decided to use four floors of the tower instead of one this year. Each of these gates will take you to another level, and there you will face different challenges. Isn’t that exciting?”

  Cassian looked at Professor Semperoblitus’s face and his foolish grin. In a single moment the man had made Cassian’s fear three times worse, and now he was smiling like a buffoon, expecting him to be excited. Cassian regretted opening his mouth at all and almost wished he would say something that would make Siegfried beat him to a pulp. Professor Lauren took over.

  “They will be simpler tasks, each designed to showcase the abilities of one member of your party. The knight, the sorcerer, and the Arbiter,” she explained calmly and efficiently. “If you choose to undertake them, it is expected that the other two roles support the main one for that trial.”

  Things were getting worse and worse. No matter what happened, there would be a moment meant for him to “shine.” Were they trying to make a fool of him? Had that been the plan all along? The third professor spoke next.

  “I will need you to tell me what roles each of you will undertake.”

  Siegfried answered immediately. “I’ll be the knight.”

  “And I’ll be our sorcerer,” Athena added smoothly, “and my dear little cousin Cassian has graciously agreed to become an Arbiter.” She turned to him with a bright smile. “Isn’t that right, little cousin?”

  What was with her attitude? Cassian felt it was false and carefully rehearsed, but he had already decided he would be the Arbiter anyways, he couldn’t second guess himself now.

  “Yes. That’s right.”

  The scarred professor grumbled. “As expected. Very well. I’ve noted your roles down. Your quest will take place this very weekend. Do your best to be prepared.”

  “We will do our very best and succeed, no matter what. Isn’t that right, little cousin?” Athena stepped behind him and wrapped her arms around his shoulders as she spoke.

  The gesture made Professor Semperoblitus press his hands to his cheeks, his face melting into an expression of delighted tenderness as he murmured about how precious family bonds were.

  “What are you doing?” Cassian whispered.

  “Showing you how much I love you. We’re family, after all,” Athena whispered back in his ear.

  “Cut that out. I know you’re planning something,” Cassian said quietly. “You have no intention of cooperating at all.”

  “Is that what you think?” Her voice turned softer, sweeter. “That I would want all that glory for myself? Well, you’re not wrong.” She leaned closer. “But breaking up the team carries a stigma. Betrayal is looked down upon. So why would I risk that, when I can make someone else betray us first?”

  Cassian turned his eyes toward Siegfried. He was staring at them with open dislike. And Cassian understood exactly what Athena was planning.

  She released him and asked brightly, “So was that all? May I return to class now?”

  Professor Lauren answered, “Yes. Unless you wish to ask anything, the three of you may go.”

  Siegfried moved first, turning and leaving without a word. Athena waved at everyone.

  “Find me later and let’s practice together, dear cousin,” she said cheerfully.

  Then she left as well. Cassian remained behind, filled with a tremendous sense of dread.