By the time Mei returned to the celk screen room, the time-glass was three quarters empty, and Dwayne was rereading his complete answers. Neither of his rivals were done; Werner was still writing and Horn was staring at her paper. Off screen, the audience had divided its attention between a perturbed Baron Thadden and Dean Bruce, who ignored them in favor of watching Dwayne.

  “We had to separate them.” Fran’s mother answered Mei’s question. “They were like children.”

  “Ah.” Too bad. Thadden had been good at distracting the dean.

  The audience had grown. There were now two more Brownhoods, three more Royal Guards, a mage clerk each for Dean Laurence and Sage Smith, and a bored young person in an oilskin coat lounging in a chair.

  “Francesca writes highly of you.”

  “She does?” In the jungle, Maggie’s father had relied on subordinates to bring him reports and relay orders. Someone here had to be doing the same for Bruce.

  “She described you as attentive, polite, and a good listener.”

  “Okay.” Mei could eliminate the Royal Guards, none of whom had been involved in the Harvest Ball incident, along with the two mage clerks whom Smith and Laurence knew. That left the Brownhoods and Oilskin Coat.

  “What,” the maestra’s gold dress filled Mei’s vision, “are you looking for, Miss Ma?”

  Mei blinked and looked up. From further away, Fran’s mother had resembled an older, taller, grander version of Fran herself, but up close, the maestra’s eyes had none of the easy joy Mei’s friend’s always did.

  Mei should not have ignored her. “I am sorry.” She bowed deeply. “I am,” no reason to risk letting the enemy hear the truth, “tracking everyone in the room. It’s a habit.”

  “A useful one, for a guard.” The maestra tilted her head. “Would this have anything to do with your leaving earlier?”

  Fran’s mother would see through an outright lie. “Yes.”

  “Boss, she went upstairs,” Oilskin Coat had the same accent as Fran, “to talk with Franny and the Gallus heir.”

  “Captain.” The maestra sighed. “Just because you are a sailor doesn’t mean you must have a sailor’s manners.”

  “Then I’ll introduce myself.” Oilskin Coat swept to their feet and dipped into a bow. “Captain Alessa Lucchesi at your service.”

  “Hello.” Mei answered the bow with a far simpler one. The captain had the maestra’s height and amber eyes but their skin was darker and their hair almost as curly as Dwayne’s. Maybe they were one of Fran’s cousins. “I am Mei, Head Guard of the Scaled Tower.”

  “If you’re wondering how we fit together,” the captain waggled their eyebrows, “Franny’s my sister.”

  Mei only had time to stare before the maestra filled her vision.

  “Why would a Head Guard leave their post to go talk to my daughter?” Her eyes narrowed. “There isn’t anything going on there, is there?”

  Mei kept her expression blank. Since Fran’s mother had only just gotten here, there was no way she’d sniffed out even a hint of Granite’s plan. “We are friends.”

  One dark eyebrow went up. “Just friends?”

  Mei’s hands clenched. “Yes. Just friends.”

  “Don’t pry, Boss,” said Alessa. “Franny hates it when you do that.”

  The maestra sighed. “I know, I know.” She smiled an apology. “Any friend of my daughter has a standing invitation to- what is it called around here?”

  “Tea, Boss.”

  “Yes, tea.” The maestra’s lips curled. “You can relay that to the recalcitrant-”

  “She means young Gallus,” explained Alessa.

  “-at your earliest opportunity.”

  “I will.” Mei bowed again. “May I go?”

  “You may.”

  Fleeing the falcon’s talons, Mei resumed her survey. Eliminating Captain Alessa left only the four Brownhoods. She only managed to check one of them before the sand in the time-glass ran out and a tinkling bell sounded.

  “The written examination is done,” announced Sage Smith. “At this time, none of the examinees have been disqualified. We shall proceed to the lobby.”

  During the confusion of nobles and merchants all rushing to the doors, Mei allowed herself to be shoved to the back and took the opportunity to check the face of another Brownhood before ending up standing next to Alessa.

  “Highest rank leaves last,” explained the captain, “and we don’t count.”

  Mei blinked. “You are a captain.”

  “Of one measly tall ship. Among the noble, the royal, and the rich, that doesn’t rate.”

  “You’re not here to guard your mother?” The third Brownhood had gone to take down the celk screen.

  “Ha, if Boss caught me fighting, she’d lay into me. Qe mages don’t fight.”

  “You’re a Qe mage?”

  “Only a passable one. My cast’s aren’t pretty like Franny’s or impressive like Katie’s, but it gets my ship out of harbor well enough.”

  Even keeping her focus on the third Brownhood who was passing by with the rolled up celk screen under their arm, Mei couldn’t help herself. “Who’s Katie?”

  The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.

  “The sister between me and Franny.” Alessa rubbed their chin. “Franny never told you?”

  “No.” The third Brownhood was now instructing the other two, so Mei eliminated them. “She didn’t.”

  “Ah, she’s probably trying to make her own way, which is hard when you come after a sister who slept with whomever she could and another who took cross-elemental classes for fun.”

  “Are there more of you?” Mei looked around for the last Brownhood.

  Alessa laughed. “You sound like Aunt Liv. Last sister’s Anna. You won’t be seeing her.”

  Mei found the last Brownhood lurking in a corner. “Why not?”

  “She, shall we say, doesn’t get out much.”

  No time to dig into that. The doors had cleared and the last Brownhood was on the move.

  “It looks like we can go.” Mei bowed. “It was nice to meet you, Captain.”

  “Likewise, Mei.”

  A few quick steps later, and Mei was right on the heels of the last Brownhood whose cloak was rougher spun than the others and had dark specks of dried mud along the lower hem. Since winters here were dry and none of the other Brownhoods had had dirty cloaks, that was almost as surprising as seeing them make a beeline for Dean Bruce. Mei would keep her distance for now. She joined Dwayne.

  “I think I did well,” he said.

  “You went fast.” The Brownhood had slipped behind Dean Bruce. “Fran said that was a good sign.”

  “I don’t know if it was. I had to rush my answers to the last question in order to make sure that I had time for the others.” His voice dropped to a whisper. “What are you looking at?”

  “The person behind Dean Bruce,” whispered Mei. Then she asked, louder, “What about the next part?”

  “I’m hoping the Oral will be easier than the Written,” answered Dwayne brightly. His voice lowered to a whisper again. “What do you think their plan is?”

  “Maggie says you’ll pull through.” Mei lowered her voice. “We don’t know.”

  “I see.” Dwayne’s face settled into a blank, pleasant expression. “I hope we get a break.”

  “You will, young Kalan.” Sage Smith turned to the assembled, his left hand resting on the massive time-glass. “Now, the examinees’ papers shall be graded. Do any of the examiners desire to hand over this duty to another?”

  Dwayne sucked in a breath. “Now?”

  “Now.” Sage Smith gave him a pitying look. “Otherwise, how would the examiners know where you stand before the Oral?”

  “I see.” Dwayne’s eyes flicked over to Thadden, his pleasant facade covering his calculations. “That is most wise.”

  As the audience grew excited, the baron showed every sign that he expected to be chosen, and while Corn looked ill, the other examiners were harder to read. Only Dean Bruce wasn’t paying attention, the Brownhood still behind her.

  “Then we shall begin.” Sage Smith turned to the queen’s husband. “Your Royal Highness?”

  “I will grade the papers myself.”

  Surprised whispers rippled through the room, matching the shocked expression on Thadden’s face. Some part of his plan had fallen through.

  It was a good distraction though. “Give me the License Key,” Mei whispered to Dwayne.

  Although he said nothing, the sudden tension in Dwayne’s shoulders told Mei he’d heard. It made sense he didn’t want to hand over the License Key, especially to the girl whose brother had already tried to steal it twice. He’d need an explanation.

  Sage Smith turned to Fran’s mother. “Maestra Lucchesi?”

  Fran’s mother eyed Dwayne, then announced, “I’ll be borrowing your clerk as I left my best mage scholar at home.”

  Sage Smith bowed. “Very well. Blackwood shall grade for you.”

  “Take it.”

  Her throat thick, Mei stared at Dwayne, whose lips had barely moved to mutter the words. He trusted her.

  His hand moved to his shirt. “It’s-”

  “I know. Don’t move.” Mei moved to his right side.

  “Dean Laurence?” Sage Smith smiled at Maggie’s teacher. “Your choice?”

  The dean grinned. “Let’s have Baron Thadden do mine.”

  Shock blew like wildfire through the audience, giving Mei cover to slip the License Key out of Dwayne’s shirt and into her inside coat pocket. Even Dwayne didn’t notice; he was too busy staring at Dean Laurence.

  “Baron Thadden.” Sage Smith waited for the baron to recover. “Do you accept?”

  Thadden bowed. “I do, Sage.”

  “Excellent. Professor Corn?”

  “I-I will do my own grading.”

  “Excellent. ‘em.” Sage Smith’s magic pulled sand up from the bottom of the time-glass. “When this glass has finished resetting, we shall reconvene in the examination hall to begin the Oral.”

  “What is Dean Laurence thinking?” Dwayne asked Mei.

  Mei shrugged. “No idea. I have to go.” The last Brownhood was on the move again. “Stay safe.”

  “You, too.”

  The Brownhood crossed the lobby so fast that her hood slipped off, revealing wavy brown hair and a lean, hungry face. Sioned.

  Pulling her hood back up, the roofrunner opened a side door and slipped in. Mei used the audience as cover and followed, closing the door softly behind her. She then descended the stairs, treading lightly to minimize sound and sliding opposite the lights to minimize shadows. She reached the bottom where bricked arches and a series of dark, heavy doors curved off into the distance. Ignoring the feeling of familiarity, Mei pressed on.

  A quick inspection of the floor revealed a trail of dried mud flecks heading left, but before Mei could follow them, someone grabbed her coat sleeve. Immediately, she shoved her weight under the arm and tossed her attacker over her shoulder. Two surprising things happened: one, her attacker landed on their feet, and two they hissed, “Mei, it’s me!”

  That only made it more surprising. Maggie had never managed that recovery in practice.

  Mei released her friend. “Impressive.”

  “Sheer dumb luck.” Maggie straightened up, wincing. “No training sessions today I guess.”

  “Did you find anything?”

  “Yes. They came up from below and,” Maggie looked sick, “they’re making Dwayne build a bomb.”

  “What?”

  A bored voice said, “Of course they are.”

  Mei grabbed Maggie’s hand before it grabbed a sleep potion. “Inge, you’re here.”

  “Sorry about that, miss.” The spy, now wearing a gray laborer’s tunic and skirt, saluted. “Rodion sent me.”

  “Who are you?” Maggie glanced at Mei. “And how do you know Mei?”

  “Maggie,” said Mei. “The bomb?”

  “Right that.” Maggie’s eyes didn’t leave Inge. “The materials are in storage.”

  “Then we get rid of them.” Inge stepped forward, but Maggie stopped them.

  “No, we shouldn’t interfere with the practicals, not without reason.” Maggie grimaced. “And Bruce might have a back up plan. There are cenobites-”

  The hairs on the back of Mei’s neck raised. “Get down!”

  “Qemilo!”

  A blast of wind shoved all three of them down the corridor. Only Mei kept her feet, although it made her proud to see Maggie roll instead of tumble.

  “These two are new.” Gold-masked Delma, her bright green cloak fluttering around her, alighted between Mei and the stairs four wir away. “No scrytive this time?”

  “Did you really drag the Water Sage’s daughter into this?” Masked in ash gray, Kay and a pair of monks in black surcotes blocked the other end of the corridor. “Are you really that shameless, Mei?”

  “I brought myself.” Maggie got to her feet then muttered, “We can take four.”

  “There’s five,” said Inge, also rising. Sioned was now cowering behind Delma.

  “Six, actually.” A red-handled knife clinked onto the floor next to the wind dancer then Huan popped into view, one hand already on his sword. “I recommend you surrender. This will all be over quickly.”

  “Tiger,” said Inge.

  “Oh,” Huan purred, “you know me?”

  “Mei, do you have it?” Maggie asked.

  She meant the License Key. Mei nodded.

  “Then we have a chance. We must capture one of them. Understand?”

  Mei smiled. Two to one and Maggie had no intention of backing down. At Mei’s other side, Inge tapped their chest. They were in too.

  “You? Capture us?” Huan shook his head. “How about you let us tie you up? It’ll be less painful that way.”

  “Let’s kill them,” said Delma.

  Huan stared at her. “Kill the Water Sage’s daughter?”

  “Does that matter now?”

  Kay gestured to his monks. “Take them. Huan, go get the License Key.”

  Two to one was bad, but Mei knew how to even the odds. She was only sorry she’d have to betray Dwayne’s trust to do it.

  “This?” Mei pulled out the License Key.

  Everyone froze.

  “Why do you have that?” Huan snarled.

  “What are you doing?” asked Maggie.

  Kay started forward. “Mei, hand that-”

  Mei charged, kicking one monk in the stomach and punching the other in the face. Kay tried to catch her, but his own face intercepted Inge’s heel.

  “Qezisarm-”

  “‘thumrut!”

  As wind and water clashed behind her, Mei kept running.

  Whoosh. Clink. Pop. “Mei, wait!”

  Mei ducked under Huan’s reach.

  “Mei!”

  She kept going.