The next week flew by as Akari’s team carved a bloody path around the Trenches. That first gloomfang had been a headache to kill, and its soul barely yielded eighty mana points between her and Kalden. But they’d killed half a dozen more since that day, and each one gave up more mana than the last.

  Now, they each earned more than a hundred points in a single trip.

  Back on Arkala, she’d trained for months just to gather twenty-five points and reach the peak of Bronze. But mana thresholds were the least of her concerns today. They’d finally reached a tipping point in their training, and things were moving faster than she’d ever imagined.

  Of course, they couldn’t keep up this pace forever. They needed Artisan-level opponents to build up their souls, and mana beasts from the Hollows weren’t stupid. They knew an apex predator when they saw one

  Irinday finally rolled around, and her team walked toward campus for their first day of classes. Things were quieter on the north side of town, and even the air smelled fresher than it did near the Trenches. Less stagnant water, and more freshly mowed grass and fallen leaves.

  The traffic grew denser when they reached the campus proper. Cars sat bumper to bumper on Chapel Street near the parking lot, and crowds of students filled the sidewalks. But despite all these new faces, the vibe was more somber than she remembered. It didn’t help that everyone wore those silly marks on their foreheads, which gave things a weird dystopian vibe

  Oh well. At least they had Elend’s class this morning. He might be annoying, but he knew how to lighten the mood.

  Technically, she and Kalden were still second-years until the end of the day. Elend had written their letters of recommendation, but the school needed an extra few hours to finalize things. The same was true for their library access.

  A few more minutes passed, then her team reached the Combat Arts Center on the south side of the Artegium. They walked single file down the crowded hallway with Zukan on point and Arturo holding up the rear. This had become their usual formation, whether they were hunting mana beasts or buying groceries. Dragons weren’t that rare around Koreldon City, but Zukan was almost seven feet tall and built like a tank. Most people couldn’t help but make way when they saw him coming. That included several of the faculty members.

  The four of them split up when they reached the locker rooms, and Akari found a quiet spot to change into her combat uniform. Normally, she didn’t mind a little alone time. But school was different. School always brought up painful memories of Elegan High, and all those years she’d spent alone without a single friend.

  It seemed like a stupid thought today. She was an Artisan for Talek’s sake—probably one of the strongest students in this whole school. She’d fought a Master last year, and the whole world had seen that footage by now. Not to mention her admissions scores, which were practically off the charts.

  For all that, her classmates turned their backs on her as she passed through the aisles, chatting amongst themselves in small groups.One girl snuck over and asked her about soulshine, but that was it.

  Akari didn’t even bother with soulshine anymore, but no one would believe that after her latest advancement.

  In that moment, some of Kalden’s words came back to her: “It’s lonely at the top.”

  Power and fame didn’t always mean more friends. In some ways, the exact opposite was true. Akari just had her teammates now, and those numbers were shrinking quickly. First they’d lost Elise in battle, and then Relia’s father had kidnapped her on the very same day.

  What if she lost Kalden next? They’d been together from the start, and she couldn’t imagine going on without him.

  Still . . . It could happen. Life wasn’t some movie where everyone survived until their part was done. Elise had been alive one moment, then she was just . . . gone.

  Stupid brain. Chill out.

  She used one of Kalden’s meditation techniques to push the thoughts from her mind. Her mother was right about one thing: she had to focus on her training right now. No sense in getting all worked up over hypothetical futures.

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  Akari reached into her backpack and pulled out a silver insignia that marked her as a second-year student. She’d never worn this before. And If everything went well today, she would never wear it again.

  She regrouped with the rest of team in Arena Block Two. There, several of her old classmates were already waiting inside the massive domed chamber. In one corner, she spotted Kalden’s old friends from Blood Army. Tori Raizen with her tattoos and facial piercings, and Lyra Manastrike with her bright red hair.

  Akari didn’t expect to see Nico here, or anyone else from her old alliance. Most of the Koreldon City locals had returned to classes, while the others had all transferred to different schools. Preferably ones on Espiria’s west coast, far away from Storm’s Eye.

  Still no sign of Elend yet. Knowing him, he probably had some dramatic entrance planned. Maybe . . .

  The main doors swung open, and an unfamiliar man strutted through the room like he owned the place. He was older than anyone else by at least a decade, with short brown hair and a clean-shaven face.

  “Who’s this guy?” Akari wondered aloud. “Did Elend get a new TA?”

  “Good morning.” The man spoke loud and clear as he approached the front of the class. “I’m Detective Trask with the Koreldon City Police Department.”

  Detective? Only a non-Master would introduce himself by his job title rather than his rank. Unless that title was really impressive, like Chancellor or Prime Minister. Akari opened her Silver Sight and checked out his soul. Sure enough, he was just an Artisan.

  Trask’s boots clicked against the floor as he stood at the front of their group. “I’ll be your teacher for Combat Arts 220.”

  Akari couldn’t help herself; a burst of laughter escaped her lips.

  Trask narrowed his eyes. “Is something funny?”

  “Two things.” Akari raised a finger. “One, you’re just an Artisan.”

  “Yes,” he replied. “And you’re . . .” He trailed off as he opened his own Silver Sight. Elend had helped Akari veil her Aeon souls, but her Artisan soul was clear as glass.

  “Two”—she raised another finger—“Elend Darklight’s our teacher.”

  “Ah.” Trask gave a slow nod. “I see the confusion, now. Grandmaster Darklight no longer teaches at Koreldon University.”

  “What?” Akari’s smile faded, and a low murmur spread over the crowd. She met Kalden’s eyes, but he looked as confused as she felt. “Since when?”

  “Chancellor Raizen terminated his employment this morning.”

  Oh, shit. Chancellor Raizen?

  That had Relia’s dad written all over it. Moonfire had ignored her team all summer, but they should have known he’d make a move at some point.

  “Now,” Trask said. “Back to business. “I’m an Artisan, as we’ve already discussed. But I’ve spent all summer fighting mana beasts around the Trenches, and I’ll teach you how to do the same. Koreldon City doesn’t need more amateurs stumbling around with mana they can’t control. We need trained fighters who follow the rules and work as a team.”

  Akari took a few deep breaths as she processed this. The Artegium clearly didn’t have enough Masters to fill the slots, so they’d had to lower their standards. Trask still didn’t look like much of a teacher, but that wasn’t his fault. For all she knew, he’d gotten in trouble at work, and they’d sent him here as a punishment. She probably shouldn’t have laughed in his face.

  Besides, she only had to put up with the guy for one day. After that . . . but no, they needed Elend's letters of recommendation. Without those, she and Kalden couldn’t become third-years.

  A cold dread washed over her as their so-called teacher droned on about rules and regulations. This whole semester sounded like a waste of time, but that wasn’t the worst part.

  What about her library access?

  Trask paced back and forth as he talked. Finally, he stopped near Akari’s group, and his brow furrowed. “You four,” he said. “Where are your marks?”

  Akari glanced around at her other classmates who now stood in a half-circle around Trask. She hadn’t counted before, but it looked like everyone else had plastered those stupid sigils on their foreheads and hands. Everyone but her and her team.

  Back in Creta, the Unmarked had formed a massive army to fight back against the Dragonlord and his tyranny. Were the Espirians all pushovers?

  “What?” Arturo answered before she had a chance. “Did that rule change overnight, too?”

  “It hasn’t,” Trask said. “But we shouldn’t need rules for basic human decency. And combat artists like us should serve as a positive example.”

  Yeah . . . on second thought, screw this guy.

  Arturo and Trask exchanged some more heated words, but Akari tuned them out. She’d known Arturo for over a year, and he would gladly debate this topic for hours if he could. He would approach things logically, mentioning the lack of scientific evidence for the marks. He would also mention Creta at some point, and how this had caused a civil war.

  He was right, of course. But their peers weren’t well-traveled scientists, and logic was basically a foreign language to them. No doubt Trask would share some sob story about how he’d lost his friends in Storm’s Eye’s attack, and how their deaths could have been prevented. If only more people colored on their skin with blue crayons. Or however the hell those things worked.

  Focus on your training, Akari reminded herself. She needed those technique manuals to learn the other half of her aspect. But first, she needed to become a third year.

  Elend’s letter would have made things easier, but it wasn’t the only way to advance through the ranks. There was an older method, tried and true. It wouldn’t be easy, but today might be her best chance.

  The others were still bickering about politics when Akari took two deliberate steps forward, standing in front of her team.

  “Hey, Trask.” She spoke loud and clear, and her voice echoed through the chamber’s domed ceiling. “I challenge you to a duel.”

  Web of Secrets Book 1 is now available on Kindle and paperback:

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