“Hey Songbird.”

Ed was standing in a sandy arena bristling with thick grey pillars five times the height of a man. With the difficulty of moving around in the sand, the expectation was obviously that they’d fight atop the monoliths. When he’d agreed to this setup, he hadn’t even considered he’d be battling Songbird.

“This is a mite awkward, don’t you think? Considering you gave me tips on exactly how to defeat you, in an arena exactly like this.”

Ed grimaced. It was true, during their strategy session, Ed had told her that she’d need an arena with no clear straight lines of sight, to summon as many birds as she could, co-ordinate them to stay hidden and make them all dogpile him at once. Still though…

She doesn’t know all my tricks.

Lying to people you just met for a tactical advantage, I’m so proud, Edward.

Shut up, Abe.

It might have just been a consequence of sharing the same headspace for weeks on end, but Ed had found himself starting to agree with the demon more and more. He wanted to think it was a result of the demon being mellowed out by his time with Ed, but the boy worried it was him slowly falling to corruption. He didn’t even consider lying by omission bad necessarily, but it’s something he never would have done back in London. Either he’d have said everything, or nothing, and he didn’t even always make the right choice, as he’d discovered at the hands of Sam. Not to mention the fact that a man of God had to be held to a higher standard than what would fly on the streets of London. Either way, it wasn’t something he could focus on now.

However he came by it, he had an advantage with his hidden blade. He just had to figure out how to leverage it to success. He looked up through the forest of pillars. He’d have to get atop them if his gun was to be effective but that was also the perfect place for Songbird to mob him with her birds.

Abe? Nothing to contribute? You’ve supposedly seen “real war” so what’s your warrior’s opinion?

Oh, you actually want me to speak now? My my, how the sands shift.

Ed sighed.

Really, Abe? You’re going to be petty now?

Master poet that I am, my answer was both a rebuke and a clue. You seem to forget I am also a sand demon. Look around you.

I don’t know how to use any sand powers.

You don’t know how to use any powers, Sa’ar does it all for you. You have never tried using her with sand around you.

Ed ignored Abe giving his gun a gender yet again, and thought about his point. He was right. Sand was hard to come by in the city and the only beach he’d ever been to, Brighton Beach, was rocky, not sandy.

Guess he’d have to find out.

The two Squires confirmed they were ready and the referee, chopping his arm down, started the match.

Immediately, they leapt apart, both aiming to get some distance. Songbird ran to one end of the arena and called Birdsong, her whistle. Bringing it to her lips, she blew hard, the instrument letting out a shrill, discordant cry. Ed felt the flash of Numen and a massive vulture appeared in the sky, circling above the arena. Its body was easily the size of a stagecoach, with a wingspan so great it was too big to even fly down, in between the pillars. It had black feathers that faded to an ash-grey at their tips, with ash falling like snow from its wings as it lazily flapped. The beast’s head was bald and covered in eyes, which all darted about independently as it let out an almost reptilian cry.

Gasps rang through the arena as the gathered staff and students all looked up in shock.

That’s a fucking Ash Sentinel. It sees everything. Stealth is out, it’s probably telling her your location in real time.

Ed looked out from behind the pillar he stood against, holding his hand to the side to summon Sa’ar. The pistol landed in his grip as he heard Songbird blast another trill with her whistle. He ran.

Shite, one’s bad enough. Do I shoot it?

If only. The ash falling from its feathers acts as a force dampener, you’re nowhere near powerful enough to punch through it. Damn how did that girl summon one of these anyway? No matter, activate Sa’ar and you’ll know what to do next.

Ed’s training under Grantham had been centred around efficiency. Of movement, of strength and especially of Numen. They were weaker than the theurgists in raw power and durability, but made up for it with their sheer variety of abilities being especially conducive to less conventional forms of combat, exemplified by Squires like Gus. They wouldn’t last in a slugfest, but they could get a few critical strikes in. With Grantham, Ed had learned to make each of these count, and have them be as sudden, as unexpected as possible. So when Ed activated Sa’ar as he ran, he had to focus on going against all his training. Which is why he missed his feet turning into whirling storms of sand.

Instantly losing his balance, Ed fell to the ground, his feet reforming.

Abe, what the blood-

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Songbird’s second bird, a dark, sleek raptor with talons that dripped an inky blackness, dive-bombed him. Ed whipped his hand around and shot it point-blank, bursting it into a rain of oddly damp black feathers and slightly acidic blood. He heard another trill from the whistle.

Abe. Sand. Explain.

It’s a movement ability. You’re welcome, by the way. I used to travel the desert as a sandstorm, now you can as well.

Ed nodded to himself and quickly got up. He took a few tentative steps, always vigilant for the next bird from hell. Taking a breath, Ed ran again, his feet rapidly swirling into gusts of sand and wind. Keeping his balance this time, he figured out propelling himself forward required intent, not force, and as he sped up, the sand transformation crept up his body.

Abe, tell me this is safe.

This is safe.

And now I’m even less reassured. Thanks.

More and more of his body became a part of the small sandstorm, and as Ed looked down with trepidation, the sand consumed Sa’ar and everything changed.

He felt his Numen spread throughout the sand, each grain providing him with a miniscule piece of information about the world within and without, but all of them together giving Ed a tapestry of sensation. As his head was finally subsumed in the sand, he could feel the entire arena. Every airflow, every breath, he could feel it all through his sandstorm. He was the sandstorm.

Then he felt his Numen levels dropping like a stone and, panicking, he fell out of his new ability, getting a faceful of sand. He’d never used that much Numen before and shuddered to think what it might be like running out. Abe had just given an evil cackle when Ed had asked, which made him want to experience it even less.

The screech of an eagle behind him brought him back to the situation. Eyeing the giant vulture still circling above, Ed spun, shooting the eagle which died with a squawk. Ed considered climbing atop one of the pillars, but he didn’t know if the vulture would attack him.

Do not go up there.

So he wouldn’t go up there, but this meant the match would turn into a game of attrition. Songbird, being faster than him and able to keep an eye on him at all times, could keep away indefinitely. She’d explained during their strategy session that she couldn’t choose which birds got summoned, but more powerful ones consumed more Numen, so she’d have to recharge between summonings, especially after that huge first bird. But as long as she could recharge in peace, she would just keep sending birds after him until she eventually found one strong enough to take him down.

Or at least, that was true before he had this power. Nodding to himself, Ed tried it once more. Disappearing within the fast-moving sandstorm, the Squire raced across the arena towards his opponent. She could track his progress through her eye in the sky, but he could track hers through his sense of airflow. She couldn’t get away.

He felt her running, trying to keep as much distance between them as possible, but it was in vain. Ed bore down on her fleeing form mercilessly, keeping a close eye on his Numen. He should have just enough. As a last ditch effort, she all but flew up one of the pillars, scaling the monolith in record time, resting in shadow of the giant bird still gliding above. Once she was up there, she blew on the whistle again.

Ed ended the ability before he ran out of Numen, catching his balance on the sandy ground. He gazed upwards.

Bloody hell.

A couple of iridescent hummingbirds were flying down from Songbird’s pillar, but every few seconds, they’d split in two. This could become a problem.

Problem! Big problem! You have to get her NOW, lest the choirbirds trap you.

Ed, having barely recharged, let off two shots at the growing swarm to minimal effect. The shimmering wall only drew closer. The birds started singing in unison, a sound which both calmed and muddled his mind.

EDWARD!

Abe’s mental shouting startled Ed out of his stupor. He was rapidly running out of options.

Fuck it, they won’t let me die.

Throwing caution to the wind, Ed entered his sand form once again and, outpacing the choirbirds, he swirled up around a pillar, reached the top and leapt out of his miniature sandstorm, aiming Sa’ar directly at Songbird’s shocked face.

Bang! Bang! Whhooosshhh!

His final two bullets in the chamber exploded out of the barrel, their breakneck speed giving them a keening sound as they whistled through the air. With two gruesome impacts, the bullets blasted through Songbird’s body, one striking her in the gut and nearly bisecting her, a gaping cavity now occupying her torso like she’d had a massive bite taken out of her, the other only grazing her right hand, but ruining it up to the elbow, leaving it a twisted, bloody mess.

As he fell back down, he felt more than saw the giant vulture diving towards him. From below, he heard the synchronised harmonies of the choirbirds already affecting his concentration. The two enemies converged on him, talons extended.

With Sa’ar still reloading, Ed was basically helpless, in mid-air. Gritting his teeth, he got ready to engage his stiletto, when the birds all vanished.

Confused, Ed fell to the ground before realising where he was and what the whole point of the match had been. He glanced around, gradually reorienting himself. People were… clapping?

An Inquisitor came by to collect Ed this time. He was very talkative.

“-eeing you struggle with that sand ability was amazing! Truly we have a talented crop this year, when the prospects are successfully adapting to new powers on the fly! Scholomance will definitely regain it-“

Ed tuned him out as he left the arena and entered the waiting room deeper within the arena walls.

He found Songbird sitting at one of the low tables, gently nursing her stomach. She’d been fully healed, but Ed had heard the sensation of having a piece of you missing sticks around a lot longer.

She looked up at him, and stuck her tongue out.

“You shot me, you wanker!”

Ed, initially worried, fell at ease. Her mouth at least was in tiptop condition.

“You asked for it, calling those demon birds on me. What the shite was the first one anyway?”

Her eyes lit up.

“Andrea calls it an Ash Sentinel! I’d only ever read about hem before! I can’t believe I finally managed to get one and you still beat me. I could see everything, it was amazing!”

“Yeah Abe decided to finally be helpful and show me how to use his sand dominion. Without it, you would’ve taken me easily.”

“Haha yeah, I saw you struggling with it. You’re just lucky I burned nearly all my Numen summoning that Ash Sentinel, I was ready to drown you in birds.”

“You very nearly did, regardless. Some of these birds are just unsportsmanlike.”

Songbird laughed at that.

“Unsportsmanlike? I brought a whistle to a gunfight and you had no issues shooting at me.”

Ed grinned.

“Well, that’s different, I’m not from a famous Knight family.”

Songbird blushed, confirming Ed’s suspicions. She and the shield warrior looked too alike not to be related. And there was almost no chance two members of a mundane family managed to get into Scholomance at the same time.

Ed wanted to ask more details, but he was called away for his next battle. They were really rushing through this.

Making sure to request a sandy floor, Ed stepped back into the arena entrance. They hadn’t told any of them the rankings, but Ed would bet he was close to being one of the final competitors now.

Walking out onto the sand, Ed could see the arena was bare, aside from his opponent, standing confidently under the sun. The tall man spat to the side as he saw Ed. Ed scowled.

It was Bradley.