At a neighbourhood tavern, where people without televisions had gathered, Jenne joined Eva and Malory. According to the reports, the Yunnish government was enraged with Henrikia and Sexton after the disaster at Tardis. In a few days, the Yunnish emperor would send an envoy to investigate the matter.

  Eva and Malory found the news boring and urged Jenne to come along, but he lingered for a few extra minutes until the news lady spoke about Blackwood. The Ring was still offline, and the army had taken no steps to solve the problem. Rumour had it this was all Genevie’s doing.

  Eva set a bag of chips and fish on their small table. Malory had a habit of watching movies as she ate. She played a sitcom from the early 300s, one she’d been enjoying recently. It was called Upside-Down. It was terrible. Jenne didn’t like watching a show about an earthen struggling to fit into a modern rhen family. Malory had good intentions when she first let them watch, but one day he would find the courage to tell her how uncomfortable it made him.

  “Malory, take the bin downstairs when you’re done,” said Eva from across the room.

  “Wait—where are you going?” asked Jenne.

  Eva was already halfway out the door. “It’s the weekend,” she said. “I have friends.”

  “You’re…” Jenne pointed at himself like a fool. “You’re leaving me with her?” He pointed to Malory.

  “Yes, and behave.” Eva pointed at both of them. “I’m watching you.” She slipped out the door before he could protest.

  The fear from his first day at Renna Sorel’s house returned. It was the same way he had felt when he first arrived at Se Fina. Malory looked concerned. Then she leaned in, pressing the back of her hand to his brow. When he flinched away, she flopped onto the sofa and tapped Jenne on the head, asking if he could see the phone screen from where he sat on the floor.

  They watched a full episode before he gathered the courage to ask if they could watch something else. She told him to pick one for them. Many shows on the Henrikian Broadcasting Network were about war, guns, and devotion to the one true God. Malory made faces at those shows, and he couldn’t help but laugh a few times when she did.

  “Dream Oven,” said Jenne. And that was how they got into reality TV. It was a show following the lives of famous people from Henrik City who wanted cakes baked for them by a celebrity baker.

  It got late. Someone might be looking for him at school. He wanted to leave, but he would rather not leave Malory alone. After another episode, Jenne asked, “Does it get lonely, being all by yourself?” Malory’s big yellow-green eyes flickered in the little light. She nodded once.

  She asked him something that took an embarrassing amount of time to figure out. Malory wanted to know if he was ready to leave. He refused to go until Eva returned. They spent another hour watching an episode of Dream Oven.

  Eva burst into the apartment—on fire, loud, and singing about freedom. Malory caught her sister as she stumbled to their table. She helped Eva to the bedroom, then returned, partly embarrassed and partly amused. The two stood a table’s length apart, awkwardly smiling at each other. He wanted to say something clever, something that would make her laugh. More than anything, he wanted to ask for her number.

  “See you,” he said quickly.

  Her smile slowly faded as she waved him goodbye. Jenne walked out, his phone clutched in his hand. Is it okay if I take your number? Can I have your number, please? I want to text you sometime, if that’s okay? Who cares about her? She’s a girl from Dormitia. You’re a student at Se Fina. What future could you possibly have with her? You can’t marry someone like that. And she’s a rhen, you’re earthen. It’s ridiculous. Go home.

  But he had no home. He could do whatever he wanted. Jenne knocked on the door, stepped back, and raised his chest. Malory peeped out from behind the door.

  “Can I take your number, please?” he asked.

  She stared at him for a long time, but then she took his phone and put it in. Jenne went back to Se Fina happy that evening.

  The school was quieter than the rest of the city—so quiet it encouraged him to spend a few hours at the library before calling it a day. He’d been avoiding the Dancing Dagger ever since Tenrad humiliated him, but tonight he had done something he never thought he could: he’d asked a girl for her number. If he could do that, he could master the Dancing Dagger.

  The thought of returning to the Gallant household sent a migraine through his head. Tenrad’s headbutt transcended time. Once the first yawn came on, he dropped everything and headed to the Villa. He went for a quick glass of water in the kitchen before heading to his bedroom. Just as he was about to open the door, he heard a muffled cry. A cough. Wheezing. Vomiting. Hamis? Jenne stepped away from his door, pressing an ear to Hamis’. Not Hamis. Then, he sound grew louder. He went over to Ashey’s room.

  Ashey sat on the bathroom floor, leaning against the toilet bowl with her mouth hanging open. She looked like a squeezed sponge, drying out in the sun. Her hair was a jumbled mess, her shirt hung loose. Neither of them said anything for some time.

  “Jenne,” she slurred. “Long time, huh? I wasn’t feeling too well, so I… you don’t have to worry about me.”

  She wasn’t very pretty tonight. Jenne approached, crouching where she sat.

  “I haven’t been a good friend to you,” said Jenne. “I’m sorry.”

  “You and Hamis both. You’ve been terrible friends.”

  “Hamis has a good reason, though.”

  “I know,” she mumbled, biting her lip. “I said some horrible things about his uncle.”

  “That doesn’t matter right now,” he said. “I want to make things up to you by giving you what you want.”

  “How do you know what I want?” she asked. “I don’t even know what that is.”

  “You don’t want to be a Gaverian,” said Jenne. “I can talk to Renna for you. Maybe she wouldn’t mind if you transferred back to your old school.”

  “Really? Can you do that? Can I do that?”

  “There’s no better time to leave than now.”

  Ashey fluttered her lashes. Out of nowhere, she embraced him, and he let her stay that way.

  “That’s the nicest thing anyone’s ever done for me,” she said. “Thank you.”

  His phone dinged. He pulled away to see the text he’d received from Malory. He beamed, rising from the bathroom floor.

  “What is it?” asked Ashey.

  “Malory,” said Jenne, grinning. “I sent a ‘hi’ when I was in the library. Didn’t think she would reply so soon.”

  “Who’s Malory?”

  Jenne’s smile stretched as he thought of a reply. The only thing that stopped him was the girl in front of him. Ashey wiped her nose with the back of her hand. She didn’t want to say it, but he knew exactly what she wanted. Jenne returned to the bathroom floor and told her everything that led up to Malory. In turn, Ashey spoke about her time with Nicholas and how everything was great—until it wasn’t. She was vague about the details, though.

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  A spin thrust him forward, sliding along the edge of the large man’s blade. He staggered back, steadied himself, and charged again. Tenrad brought his axe down against Jenne’s weapon, puffing from the flurry of strikes the smaller ascender had forced on him. With a sharp dart, Jenne found an opening. He could drive his blade into Tenrad’s thigh. But that felt unnecessarily cruel—and kind of icky.

  Tenrad grabbed Jenne by the hair and hurled him to the ground. The fight was over.

  “Why did you hesitate?” asked Tenrad.

  “I don’t like blood, Sir,” said Jenne, a bit ashamed. “I don’t want to hurt anybody.”

  Tenrad swung his axe straight at Jenne’s head. Instinctively, the earthen clapped his hands together. Golden rays flared, deflecting the axe so that it veered off the training ground and cleaved through a tree in the garden.

  “You did well today,” said Tenrad. “Ursel has trained you quite well—and quite quickly too.”

  “No, Sir,” said Jenne. “Ursel didn’t train me. I’ve never spoken to your daughter.”

  “No? You learned all that on your own? Without any help?”

  “Yes, Sir.”

  “I see.”

  “Should I come back tomorrow?”

  “No,” said Tenrad. “I’ll call for you when I need you.”

  He had done so well that even Tenrad was surprised.

  Jenne had about four hours left before morning class. He got dressed, waiting for the right moment to text Malory Good morning. Breakfast was a chore to get through, since Hamis didn’t want to sit with Ashey. Jenne had to choose who he wanted to eat with. Doctor Leonard was waiting for them too. They hurried along, but Jenne lagged behind, phone in hand, already texting Malory.

  I’ve got good news.

  Me too! came the reply. After a moment, she added: Tell me yours first.

  Tenrad really likes me. I think he wants to take me on as his student. Don’t tell anyone yet.

  My Gaverian. She added a heart next to the text. He grinned like an idiot.

  What’s your news? Jenne asked.

  I finally got a job. Philica asked me to be a shop attendant at his place.

  Can I come over? I want to be your first customer.

  You won’t be my first customer. But you’re my favourite already.

  It was the first time he’d ever been late for class.

  In the afternoon, he went back to the library, determined to learn as much as he could. There was a book on crafting daggers he’d ignored until now. He knew he needed a professional to teach him how to forge weapons, but it wouldn’t hurt to try on his own.

  “Jenne?” came a whimper. “Jenne, are you in here?”

  Ashey shuffled between the shelves, red-nosed and teary-eyed, until she found him curled up in a beanbag. She slumped to the floor, head hanging low, her whole body dripping with melancholy.

  “I tried…” Her shoulders shook. “I tried apologising, but he wouldn’t even look at me. Why is Hamis doing that to me?”

  “I don’t know,” Jenne said slowly. His phone dinged, but he resisted the urge to check. Promising to talk to Hamis wouldn’t work—he didn’t want to get involved. “What if I invited you both somewhere? That way we’d all be together. Sooner or later, he’ll have to talk to you.” The idea grew warmer in his mind. “That’s what we need—a day out to clear our heads.”

  “Is that really a good idea?” asked Ashey, hesitant.

  “Yeah.”

  “Okay,” she whispered. “Thanks, Jenne.”

  Hamis and Ashey pressed shoulder to shoulder, holding hands, pale and dry-lipped. “Jenne, when you said you had somewhere fun, we didn’t expect a place where we could be murdered,” hissed Hamis. “How do you know this place?”

  “I never said it would be fun,” said Jenne. “Besides, Dormitia isn’t all bad once you get to know the people.”

  “God, I see something,” Ashey squirmed. “It’s looking at me.”

  A muscled, red-haired man sat on a crate at the edge of the alley, sizing the three up. Another stood a few blocks away, and more lingered at every turn. Jenne led the way and his two friends followed. They passed shops and carts along the street, stopping for a family of eight to cross into a shaft. Hamis kept his eyes fixed on the massive ship standing in the middle of the street, while Ashey kept hers down. Despite their fears, they reached Malory’s new working place unscathed.

  It was a small shack with a canopy extending over the sidewalk. Underneath the canopy stood a set of round tables and chairs. Malory and a lanky fellow came out of the shack. She approached them, beaming, and took Jenne’s hand to lead him to a seat. Philica, who Jenne assumed was the lanky boy, overcame his surprise and forced a smile.

  “Friends of Malory,” he said, bowing. “It’s an honour to have customers such as yourselves. We don’t get to serve royalty every day.”

  Hamis and Ashey laughed nervously and tried to hide their eyes. Even without their uniforms, many could recognise them. Malory served each of them a glass of iced tea, which Ashey did not touch. Over time, Hamis grew more comfortable and began asking questions about the Black Belt, visible from where they sat.

  Jenne walked up to the shack. On the shelves were rows of glass jars, each containing some herb or root.

  “I thought you sold candy,” said Jenne.

  Malory pressed her lips together and avoided his gaze. He did not bring it up again.

  “Isse!” Hamis cried. “What the hell are you doing here?”

  On the sidewalk, a girl stammered out an excuse. She was white-haired, wearing a sweater and jeans, and walking among a group of people who did not quite fit in with the scene at Dormitia. Hamis stepped away from his chair and closed in on her and her friends.

  “Who are these people?”

  “My friends?” said Isse. “They never let me in at Se Fina, so when you told me where you guys were, I had no choice but to come.”

  “We wanted to see if it was true,” one of the girls behind Isse said.

  “I think I see his tattoo,” another whispered, and Jenne realised they were talking about him.

  Isse tensed up when Jenne eyed her. “Sorry,” she mouthed. “My friends said you weren’t really earthen. Some said even if you were, you weren’t from—”

  “Isse, shut up,” growled Hamis. “Come on, I’ll walk you home. All of you, let’s go.”

  “I don’t mind,” said Jenne. “You can take a look at my index if you want to.”

  The girls exchanged glances, gasping. “He said ‘index,’” one whispered into Isse’s ear.

  “No one talks like that.”

  Hamis stood in Jenne’s way and stretched out his arm. “You’re not looking at my friend’s tattoo. I don’t care if you believe he’s earthen or not. You’ve no right to come here and ask him anything. Turn around—I’m taking you home.”

  They protested, but Hamis was having none of it.

  “Can I get his number?” asked Isse. “Hamis, please, you never let me talk to your friends.”

  “Because you’re weird,” he said. “Walk.”

  Isse bounced on her feet, stealing one last glance at Jenne before Hamis shoved her and her friends off.

  “Hamis, are we good now?” Ashey called after him. “We’re friends again, right?”

  “Yes, Ashey, how many times do you want me to say it?”

  “You didn’t sound honest the first time.”

  “How about the next hundred times you asked since then?” Hamis threw up his hands. “I forgive you. There. I said it again. Do you want me to kiss you too?”

  “Ew, no,” Ashey scoffed, turning red as she reached for her glass of iced tea. She took a long sip, then smacked her lips. “As if. You can go, Hamis. It’s not like your apology means all that much to me anyway.”

  “Why, what did Ashey do to you?” asked Isse.

  “None of your business. Keep walking,” spat Hamis.

  When Hamis had left, Ashey shrieked and gave Jenne a quick embrace.

  “You heard Hamis,” she whispered. “He’s not mad at me anymore. You’re a real magician, Jenne.”

  “I don’t think I had anything to do with it,” he said. “But I’m glad you two are friends again.”

  “I’m feeling good, Jenne. I think it’s time,” she said, wiggling her hands. “Call my mum right now.”

  “I forgot to tell you—I also have something I need to let her know,” said Jenne. “She might be a bit upset.”

  “Oh no, no, no, no, no. You don’t get to do that. I go first. Tell her my bad news before you ruin it for both of us.”

  “Is there any problem?” asked Philica.

  “No,” Ashey and Jenne said together.

  “Jenne,” answered Schemel, her voice ringing. “What a surprise. You never call me. That makes this even more special because I’m having a very bad evening.”

  Jenne and Ashey grimaced. He couldn’t do it. She interlocked her fingers with his. And those eyes—so big and green—they pinned him in place.

  “Renna, we have some bad news of our own.”

  “Is everything okay?” asked Schemel. “Are you sick?”

  He wished he was. “No, Renna. I have Ashey with me. She had something she wanted to tell you.”

  “A’shay?”

  “Yes, please.”

  “Put her on the phone.”

  Ashey was a ghost. She’d died a few seconds ago. Her fingers were boneless, so he placed the phone against her ear. Lips trembling, she counted to three and said, “Mommy.”

  “What is it, Love?”

  “I—I… uh… I, um…”

  “Ashamel.”

  “She wants to go back to regular school, Renna,” said Jenne. “Ashey isn’t happy at Se Fina.”

  They waited for the world to end. Jenne and Ashey drew nearer to the screen.

  “Okay,” said Schemel. “If that’s what you want, then it’s fine.”

  Ashey stood there stumped, confused and oddly disappointed. “Is that it?” she asked. “You’ll let me go?”

  “Yes, Ashey. Isn’t that what you want?”

  “I do,” said Ashey. “I do.”

  “Good. Anything else?”

  “I want to ask Ren Gallant to be my Hyper-Physicals instructor,” said Jenne, seething. “Unless you’re not okay with it—”

  “It’s fine, Jenne. Tenrad is a good teacher,” Schemel said. “Though I have to be honest, I’m quite jealous. If I were in a better position, I would’ve absolutely refused. Tenrad would be lucky to have you as a student. Anyone would. No one would be willing to let you go. Not many students have that privilege.”