When Elvie broke the news to Rilla that afternoon, the look on her face was priceless.

‘You mean they’ll let me inside?’ She bounced on her bed in excitement.

Elvie grinned. ‘And they’ll teach you a few spells too.’ She didn’t want to ruin the surprise by saying how few that number of spells would be.

‘That’s amazing! I can’t wait – when do we go?’

‘Tonight. Callum said he would come after dinner tonight.’ Elvie laughed along with her.

Despite not talking to Alistar about asking Flynn, she still tracked him down at tea to see if he was also interested in moving to Elder House. He declined, saying he still had too much to learn in Ash House before he moved elsewhere. That was becoming typical Flynn – always wanting to stay where he could learn the most.

True to his word, Callum drove them back to Elder House as the stars settled in the night sky. He’d been kind to Rilla, welcomed her, and not pushed too hard when she did her usual whispering introduction routine.

‘When will you start to teach us?’ Elvie asked Callum as they drove. ‘Tonight? Tomorrow? We’re both a little excited.’ Rilla nodded in support.

He looked uncomfortable to be put on the spot – although it was fast becoming his natural expression. ‘I’ll talk to Alistar for you, Elvie, but I’m not promising anything. At the end of the day, it’s his choice, not mine, and I can’t go against the words of a Master, even one who isn’t yet named.’

Elvie nodded – she’d just have to annoy Alistar into submission.

When they arrived at Elder House, Callum’s advice was to choose rooms with everything they needed – mostly warmth.

Rilla’s eyes were wide as they entered the house.

‘I was just the same,’ she told her. It’s like a maze in here, as far as I can tell. Different levels, stairs everywhere – nooks and crannies. We’ll get to explore together.’

‘But do you know where you’re going?’

‘Not a clue!’ Elvie laughed. ‘But I know Alistar has some rooms up and to the right, and Callum has some down to the right. So, I guess we go left?’

Rilla smiled, and they set off, opening every room in a quest to find their home inside a home.

This method of exploration was different from Elvie’s willy-nilly wandering earlier. They opened each door and imperiously surveyed the interior to judge them worthy. Most rooms were surprisingly well-stocked, with desks, cupboards, and beds with mattresses – although the thick layer of dust coating everything would need to be cleaned off. Elder House had obviously been inhabited in the past, and at various points, it appeared to have had the furniture updated, even they were a shadow of their former glory now. Towards the back of the house, as it pressed farther and farther into the hillside, the dust thickened to a level that ruled out any further exploration.

In the end, the room they chose appealed instantly. It was painted blue and only just set back into the hill, with circular corners and a window overlooking sloping grass and the night sky. But what had instantly caught their attention were the two beds.

‘We’re staying together again!’

‘I wouldn’t want to stay by myself,’ Rilla replied, nodding enthusiastically at the suggestion. ‘It’s nice to be here and all, but it is very different from Ash House.’

After a brief clean and a fresh supply of pillows and blankets, they talked late into the night. In the morning, Elvie paid the toll for her lack of sleep with bleary red eyes – it was worth it, though, as both her and Rilla eased into a comfortable friendship.

Callum drove them to class after they’d come to the realisation the bus didn’t stop at Elder House. ‘Apologies for that oversight, but I’ll let the right people know. ‘You’ll have to be a little patient with us – it’s a bit of a transition period, and to be honest, we’re not exactly used to dealing with students, let alone those of their first year.’

Stolen novel; please report.

Surprisingly, Alistar had opted to come with them, saying he needed to tie down loose ends now that he had pests staying. ‘I might need some support too, you know. Perhaps some supplies and what not.’

As Elvie yawned her way into morning class, she immediately came to a dead stop.

She’d been expecting Magical Theory and Ayliah, but instead, standing behind the teacher’s desk with her penetrating blue eyes fixed upon Elvie, was Shrinth.

Shrinth’s red cloak, dark hair and pale complexion made its usual stunning contrast, and she immediately drew the eyes of all the students. Unlike other teachers, Shrinth had demonstrated strength and aptitude as a magician and earned respect in the eyes of many first-years.

Elvie’s doorway blockade caused a clamour from Flynn behind. ‘Hey, what’s going on?’ He nudged her gently, so Elvie slowly made her way to a seat, avoiding making any unnecessary eye contact – which was all eye contact. What had happened to Master Ayliah? Should she ask? No, that was a terrible idea. If Shrinth could see into her mind, she needed to stay well clear. Is she teaching this class because of what she saw? The suspicion danced back and forth in Elvie’s mind.

This was further reinforced by the fact that Shrinth was clearly not a teacher at heart. Without preamble, she began: ‘Here is a simple spell. Read over it carefully, then cast it.’

Laid out on each desk were a candle and a small piece of paper with neatly written instructions. The key phrase was Arden flambach – a fire spell

Ten minutes passed with no student casting any magic. Sweat formed on Elvie’s forehead as she imagined flame flickering to life around the small candle. Focus, words and gestures. The energy of the spell tingled beneath her skin, begging to be released. Her hands made the proper motions to clear the air of negative influences for the spell, as she scrunched her fingers into a tight fist. ‘Arden flambach,’ she whispered once, softly, then she exploded her fist open, and in the most confident voice she could summon, declared: ‘Arden flambach!’

Nothing happened. No fire. No release of magic. But was that the tiniest of sparks? She couldn’t be sure. Her imagination might just be seeing what it wanted to in the hope it came true.

‘Very interesting, isn’t it?’ Shrinth queried the class with both eyebrows raised.

‘It doesn’t work! Why doesn’t it work?’ A student demanded from the back of the room, stomping her foot in frustration.

‘I can’t get a fizzle!’

‘Mines not even warm!’

‘Try harder.’ Shrinth’s command was firm.

Time slowed to an agonising twenty minutes of muttering spells and intense focus, yet nothing occurred for any student. Shrinth wandered through the class but rarely spoke; there was no correction for students or sage advice to follow. When someone worked up the courage to mutter a complaint, she repeated a mantra of ‘focus, try harder’ – which had no impact on the spell they were trying to cast. Strangely, she didn’t come near Elvie.

Once it was clear that every student had exhausted their willpower, and nobody would make a flame that day, Shrinth resumed her position at the front of the class.

‘This is another tough but important lesson, which you may note, I am quite fond of. Will alone is not enough. Desire is not enough. Skill and talent are not enough. If it is not your speciality – your Great House – or the one house to either side, you won’t be able to practice that branch well, if at all. The chances of a student casting a spell like this are astronomically small. It is a limitation of life and one for the better. Dedicate yourselves to succeeding in your area.’

Several mutters took flight around the class, and a girl voiced the question they all wanted to know. ‘But Master Shrinth, what Great House casts fire magic?’

‘It’s Shrinth, not Master. And none of them, none at all.’ For the first time that lesson, her eyes came to rest on Elvie. ‘Class dismissed.’

‘What a stupid lesson!’ Flynn exploded with anger once they were out into the hallway. ‘Who teaches a lesson like that? Who teaches you something you don’t need to know?’

Elvie shrugged, but Flynn was not finished.

‘I mean, seriously, why waste our time? I could’ve studied anything else and gained some knowledge. Anything else! Of course people can’t cast fire magic – it isn’t the basis for one of the Great Houses of Magic – but there I was for a moment, as gullible as everyone else, bursting to try and cast something that I can’t even do!’

‘Maybe it’s important to know your limitations, right? That seems to be Shrinth’s thing… she teaches us about what we can’t do so that we won’t do something reckless.’ That gave Flynn pause. Elvie continued. ‘I hadn’t realised that there wasn’t a Great House which uses fire as its base… Are there any other large gaps in the type of magic each house casts?’

Flynn considered. ‘I guess there are some areas, but nothing so blatantly out of place as the absence of fire magic.’

‘It still doesn’t make any sense though. If you don’t have a Great House for fire, why do they have a spell for fire?’

Flynn stopped in his tracks, mouth slightly opened. ‘Oh… Oh!’

‘Guess you’ve got some more reading to do then?’

He gave her a rare smile.

‘Why do you think Shrinth was there?’ Elvie changed the topic.

‘Teaching the lesson? I don’t know. Maybe Master Ayliah is sick. I’m certainly hoping she returns soon.’

Elvie agreed, paranoia creeping again. Why was Shrinth there? Was it just a coincidence? It was a question that would no doubt give her another restless night.