I needed no further invitation.

  Tucking the book under my arm was easier said than done. It was massive, and its raw magic was already numbing my limb. I gritted my teeth and ran.

  My footsteps slammed against the stone floor, the sound bouncing back at me as I tore through the aisles of the inner vault. My Detect Magic still flickered at the edges of my vision, but it was useless now. The book’s aura drowned out everything else, a thick haze of power obscuring whatever lay ahead.

  I reached the middle shelves and forced myself to slow. Not because I was tired, if anything, I felt charged. The ache in my limbs had been replaced with something sharper, a thrumming vitality that urged me forward. I resisted the pull, planting my feet and taking stock of my surroundings.

  The light from the entrance was gone, replaced by the small glow of an everlight lantern.

  That was bad.

  What was worse were the voices.

  Muffled conversation, coming from the entrance. Two… no, three people. One of them was Sebastian. The other two were older.

  Fuck.

  Fucking Elias.

  That rat sold us out.

  I crouched and crept forward, keeping my steps as silent as possible. Peering between the shelves toward the entrance, I spotted them. Sebastian, leaning casually against a heap of discarded artifacts, looked completely unbothered. The two figures standing over him wore the robes of Academy Wizards.

  I stifled a curse. Professors.

  I strained to hear them, catching only pieces of conversation. I shifted forward, slow and deliberate, pressing my shoulder against the shelf.

  The words sharpened. "– serious even for you, Sebastian. You’ll be lucky to escape with expulsion for this.”

  I recognized the nasal voice immediately. Professor Sullivan.

  Oh, I bet he was loving this. His lack of ability made Elias look like the next fucking Archmage.

  Sebastian let out a sigh, all exaggerated regret.

  "You’re so right, Professor. This was stupid, I don’t know what came over me. I just have this urge to act out. I guess it all started when I was eleven, and Ma and Pa couldn’t make time to come to my –"

  "Enough." The second professor’s voice was smooth, resonant – Professor Valen, head of Abjuration.

  "Where is Silas?"

  Sebastian barely hesitated.

  "The library, I think. He was complaining about some essay he had to finish. Something dull, Abjuration, maybe?"

  The amusement in his voice was obvious. That idiot. This was no time to be pushing them.

  “You smug little –“

  “Relax, Samuel,” Professor Valen said, exhaling sharply. “Are you truly alone in here, Sebastian? We’ll be closing the door behind us. If you had a conspirator, they could be trapped for weeks before the vault reopens. Easy enough to starve.”

  Sebastian didn’t miss a beat, his grin widening. “Professor Valen, you wound me! You suspect me of conspiring?” He threw his hands up in mock offense. “I may lack my dear friend’s magical talents, but I assure you, I am quite capable of orchestrating an escapade such as this entirely on my own.”

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  “Honestly, it’s a shame. Despite my best efforts, your school has beaten all the interesting parts out of the scamp. A thousand essays have turned him into a bore.”

  “We know he’s here, boy.” Sullivan’s voice was sharp, irritated. “Elias told us everything.”

  Sebastian gasped. “Elias?! The one who let me in? Why, his word is sacred! He could not possibly have lied!” He hung his head, the very picture of remorse.

  Professor Valen exhaled sharply, rubbing at her temples. “Sebastian,” she said, voice smoothing into something more measured, more persuasive. “You’re a talented student. Not the most devoted, but you have a gift for illusions. The title of Academy Wizard is beyond most, but it is still within your reach. And more importantly, the Academy needs talented students like you and your friend.”

  She stepped forward. “Tell us where Silas is, and I can personally ensure that the Headmaster recommends a term of indentured service rather than expulsion. You both get your robes, do a few years serving the Academy, and then you’re free to go.”

  Her tone darkened. “But if you don’t cooperate? Prison – or worse – is a genuine possibility. Too many people have been involved in this to write it off as another instance of children being children. Particularly given your record.”

  Sebastian paused.

  A heartbeat stretched out.

  His lips parted, his gaze flicking to the side, like he was actually considering it.

  My stomach dropped.

  Then he looked back up, sighing. "You’re absolutely right,” he murmured. “It isn’t worth the risk.”

  Another pause.

  "Besides, a period of indentured servitude might actually be something he’d enjoy."

  Then his grin returned. He shrugged. “You’ll have to fetch him from the library, though.”

  What a bastard. I could’ve kissed him.

  Professor Valen shook her head, disappointed. “Loyalty is a wonderful thing, but I hope you enjoy your principles when they’re all you have left.”

  She turned to Sullivan. “Keep an eye on the door. If he’s here, he’ll have to come out eventually.”

  Sullivan sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. “It’s quite late, Professor. How long should I wait?”

  “Until someone relieves you, Samuel.” Her tone left no room for argument. She turned to Sebastian, gesturing with her wand for him to stand. “We, however, have a date with the headmaster. And he dislikes being woken from his sleep even more than I do.”

  Sebastian ambled to his feet, dusting himself off. “Never let it be said that I keep a beautiful man waiting.” He winked at Sullivan. “Do try not to get lonely”.

  The two stepped into the entrance, vanishing in the way only a demiplane allowed – one moment present, the next, simply gone.

  The moment they were gone, Sullivan’s posture shifted. He rolled his shoulders, exhaling sharply, before scanning the room with a thoughtful hum. Then, slowly, he reached into his coat and retrieved a small crystal focus.

  Oh, you bastard.

  He wasn’t guarding anything. He was about to loot the vault.

  The air hummed as he began the familiar incantation for Detect Magic.

  I ducked back into cover, breath hitching. Even from this distance, I would light up like Sullivan’s lack of talent.

  Seconds. I had seconds.

  Run? No good. I wouldn’t make it far enough before the spell picked up my trace.

  Hide? Useless. There was nothing thick enough to block the detection.

  Drop the book?

  A jolt of displeasure ran through me. Oh, shut up, I thought. Not happening.

  We were in agreement, then. I’d sooner fight him with my bare hands than let him pocket a treasure like this on a whim.

  A sharp intake of breath.

  Hurried footsteps – coming this way.

  I was out of time.

  If he was coming this way, though… the entrance was unguarded.

  My magic was gone, but if Detect Magic was still running –

  I took a breath, running through the Misty Step incantation in my head. I'd never managed it before, but if not now, when? I could do this. My best work was under pressure, and if this buzzing in my ears was any indication, I was definitely under pressure.

  I pulled at the dregs of power still clinging to my core, shaping the pathways with my fingers. The words left my lips, perfectly intoned. The thrill of new magic settled into my bones. I focused on the entrance – just yards away.

  I opened my eyes.

  Nothing.

  The magic fizzled out, fading into nothingness.

  I was dry. Empty.

  The buzzing in my ears grew louder. The walls pressed in.

  No.

  Sullivan was seconds away. I would NOT be taken down by this lackey.

  I reached, blindly, desperately searching for any scrap of power left inside me.

  And then I felt it.

  The buzzing wasn’t in my head. It was in the walls, the floor, the shelves. The entire room reverberated with the book’s power. A jolt in my mind. A hand, offered.

  I took it.

  I pulled, deeper than I’d ever dared. Magic flooded my circuits, raw and eager.

  I focused.

  Get out.

  I reached –

  And the world unraveled.