Ilwin stared at the dozen or so handpicked locations. Arascus wawenty pnes for an air fleet. To be built, to be stolen or to be bought. He didn’t care how. Ilwin sparked his cigarette ao Narma’s office. How expensive could pnes even be?

  Lyca stood in Yelinda’s office along with his three friends. She was their year-head, the final authority when it came to what he was allowed to do in Arcadia. There was little to expin, ending up in Yelinda’s office was usually the end for most students. It was an ugly room, half stu the past, half looking towards the future. Somehow, it mao bihe worst of both worlds. Giant furniture, but pin. Large mps, but cold aric. Ergonomic chairs, but too small.

  “The four of you disappeared for two weeks.” Lyca rolled his eyes as Miss Yelinda scolded them. Who even cared about small trivial issues like that? Two weeks of missing lessons? Wow. Maybe the gap between them and the rest of the css would close slightly. Him and Edmonton were number one and two in duels, Eliza aragon of healing and there hadn’t been an exam Fleur had not e first in. “And you suddenly re-appear as if nothing has happened.” Yelinda spoke slowly and quietly. There were students she would shout at, but shouting didn’t really have mu effe Lyca or his friends.

  Yelinda pushed up her gsses and sighed. Her desk was a modern monstrosity, thhly not witch-like. An ugly piece of wood and gss. Her clothes were another odd cultural csh, as if modernity had e to impose itself on tradition. She wore the a shawl of an archmage, and a white blouse underh it. Tall witch-like boots, and then standard pants. Lyca didn’t care much for fashion but if it annoyed him, he khat Fleur and Edmonton must be seething at that. “I won’t let you until I get a reason.” Eliza’s arm brushed Lyca’s.

  Lyca sighed and leaned back. It was time to set a tone for the versation, and then have Ed and Fleur simply py off him. “It was my fault.” He said. “I thought I found something but I didn’t.” Yelinda raised an eyebrow.

  “You thought you found something?” Lyca remembered st night, when they were returning on the pne back to Arcadia and Edmonton was throwing stories around. Lyca had just said to improvise the whole thing.

  “It was nothing.” Lyca said.

  “Was it?”

  “Well, it was an old artefact but we got there and it was ay field with a forest.” Lyca put his arm around Eliza, the shirl was simply brilliant. She pyed along effortlessly, leaning into Lyd making those big brown puppy eyes at Yelinda. “E is scared of forests and wolves so…” He shrugged.

  “You gave up?”

  “Well we went camping for a week.” Lyca said. Yelinda sighed again and tapped her fingers along the table.

  “Why did you not say anything? Why did you not even give any notice?”

  “Well I thought I’d find something.” Lyca said simply. “And then I’d have to share.” Yelinda narrowed her eyes at him.

  “You know it’s illegal to hoard artefacts?” Lyca let of Eliza and took a step towards the woman, she was maybe ten times his age but he simply could not see her as an equal. Could she do sorcery? Did she know a God? Did she ever attae? Could she even dream of one?

  “Miss Yelinda, I’m sorry for this, but if I said something, I’d get a medal or maybe a fancy piece of paper as a reward about what a good student I am. If I brought it to the Olympiada Archaeologist’s Agency, I’d have ten years of ye, so no. I apologize for a ck of success, but I don’t really feel bad about doing it.” Yelinda blinked, her pale green eyes rising, her cheeks flushing for a moment before she regained trol of herself.

  “I don’t expect students to speak like this to me.”

  “I don’t-“ Lyca raised his voice when Edmonton spped his back. The man was taller than Lyca by a good half-head, with bck hair and blue eyes. His uniform didn’t do him justice, the amount of strength in that sp would have knocked Lyca over where it not for what Fer had awakened within him.

  “What Lyca means is that we don’t feel respected in css.” Edmonton said. Yelinda shook her head.

  “Excuse me?”

  “Just as I said, Arcadia is challenging yes, but not for us. I apologize for the bluntness but there is really no way to put it. I think all four could pass this year’s finals without attending a single lesson from now.” Edmonton took a breath and pulled Lyca back a step. Lyly moved because he let Edmonton move him. “I kly hant this sounds, but I think our results speak for themselves.”

  “I cur with Edmonton’s words Yelinda.” Fleur said. “I would be willing to take an exam right now to prove it.”

  “It’s Miss Yelinda.” The teacher said and sighed again. She remained silent for a few minutes, her fiapping away. “Your behaviour is terrible, you express absolutely no remorse nuilt for yrant breaking of the rules. You don’t even have the decy to cover it up.”

  “Personally, I think it’s better if we’re just ho rather than pying wames.” Lyca said, he could barely tain his smile. If she believed them about this, then that meant there wasn’t any suspi about the Divine Library and Anassa. He wao return there as soon as possible.

  “I wasn’t finished.” Yelinda said. “Like I was saying, you four, character wise, have done more than enough to warrant a suspension from Arcadia.” Lyca wao ugh. A suspension? Oh no. How terrible. A holiday. “But talent wise, I uand your frustration. The four of you far outmatyone else in your year. Even if I let you skip one, you would still be iop ten of the year.” Lyca wao smash the table. Iop ten? Just that? He could duel anyone in the whole school! There was only one person in all of Arcadia who could defeat him and she was locked in the Divine Library! “Likewise, an expulsion would simply be a waste. I have no doubt the four of you would find great ways to use your powers.”

  Lyodded. That was the first time the woman had been correct today. The woman didn’t catch his nod, or maybe she simply ig. “I will send you all letters to your rooms detailing what sort of punishments you will have after I talk with you teachers, along with ways to grow your potential.”

  “I would like to request ohing!” Fleur said. Lyca rolled his eyes, if he was in the woman’s position, the four of them would be on their way bae. Somehow the situation had turned around to su extent that now Fleur was making demands? What a joke.

  “What?”

  “To be allowed entry into the Schuilds.” Yelinda didn’t even think about it.

  “The four of you are allowed entry into the Schuilds. They’ll be tacted by tomorrow and you’ll be on the whitelist.”

  “Thank you.” Fleur nodded and smiled. Lyca would never be seen in there. If it wasn’t used directly to gain power, he did not care a si about it.

  “You will receive your punishments ter, they won’t be easy and I’ll be putting you on special curriculums too.”

  “You know we have the i for this?” Narma said.

  “I assumed you would have tacts.” Ilwin replied.

  “Ilwin, two pnes would bankrupt us. The sort Arascus was talking about, we could afford three quarters of one.” Ilwin took a sigh. Looks like this was going to be harder thahought.

  “That was it?” Lyca asked ohey had stepped out of the administration building and were walking along the cobbled paths of Arcadia. The air here was warm, the buildings tall aiful, the people all finely dressed. It was the exact opposite that the wastend of Karaina B had been.

  “You’re an idiot.” Edmonton spped the man on the back. Lyca felt it, but it didn’t hurt a bit. It was as if a rge bee had just flown into him.

  “Am I?”

  “You are.” Fleur said.

  “I made up a story, it worked, didn’t it?” Lyca said.

  “And if we got expelled?” Fleur asked.

  “Then I’d go live with Anassa.”

  “What about the letter the elf gave me?” Eliza asked.

  “We should deliver it as soon as possible.” Lyca said.

  “No, we should give it a week or two.” Fleur said.

  “Why?”

  “I assume they’ll be watg us.” Lyca felt the hairs on his back stand up when Fleur said that.