Elise stepped down the curved marble staircase and found her father waiting in the vestibule. As the senator of Koreldon, Ashur Moonfire typically wore suits of dark gray or navy, but not today. Today, he wore a set of shiny black armor. The material looked almost like plastic, with dozens of small pieces that fit together like a puzzle. Of course, it couldn’t really be plastic, or anything so mundane as that. Her father was a Grandmaster, and his armor probably cost more than some houses. It might even cost more than this house. Elise didn’t know much about sigilcraft, but Arturo would have told her all the specifics if he were here.

Her father’s helmet sat on a nearby table, and he held a thin tablet in his gloved hand. His finger glided across its glass screen, and his brow was furrowed as he read.

“Going somewhere?” Elise asked when she reached the bottom of the staircase.

He didn’t glance up from his tablet. “I’ll be joining the other Masters in Vaslana.”

“What? To fight Storm’s Eye?”

He nodded.

“I thought you were defending Koreldon.”

“I was.” He looked up from his device, and it vanished from his hand. “But we’re making our move today, and space artists are in short supply.”

They still hadn’t tried to kill it yet? No wonder they’d kept this plan a secret; people were dying by the thousands, and most wouldn’t understand the delay. How long had it been since Irina left? Five weeks? An entire month? But at least this crisis would be over soon, and things could finally go back to normal. Then again, no battle could be won without sacrifices.

“You won’t be on the frontlines,” she said. “Will you?”

“Of course not,” he said at once. “Space artists play support roles. I’ll be miles from the spirit itself.”

Elise felt some of her tension drain away. The Darklights had said the same thing, and so had her other teachers at school. Only the Mystics would engage Storm’s Eye directly, and the Masters would take every precaution to keep themselves alive.

“I meant to speak with you last night,” her father said. “Where were you?”

She hesitated. “I was at the Darklights’ house for team training.”

“Team training on a Kelsday night?”

“I need human partners for my techniques,” she explained. “And no one else will train with me. Not after what happened during the qualifying rounds.”

He raised a curious eyebrow, and Elise braced herself for his retort. Her father saw through lies as well as Elend, and even the smallest omission would stand out like a cracked mirror. But he didn’t press her today. Had her delivery been that good?

No . . . she’d spoken with total confidence, but such a tone felt out of place here. Conversations were like rivers. They meandered through the land, always abiding by unspoken rules. But one push could send that river flowing straight up a hill when it should have cut around it. Such feats could be done with mana, but no one would ever call them natural.

When she’d told her parents about this team, they’d seen an opportunity to get closer to Akari Zeller. But they’d lost interest as the months passed by, and they’d barely spoken of Akari all year. Elise should have felt relieved by this outcome; it meant she’d never had to choose between her parents and her teammates. And yet . . . a part of her wanted to have this talk. This was a chance to prove she could change.

She drew in a deep breath and held her head higher. “I don’t agree with what we did last year.”

Her father’s lips curled up at the edges. “You’ll have to be more specific.”

Elise shot a glance over her shoulder.

“Don’t worry,” he said. “We’re alone.”

She nodded and drew in another breath. “Those favors I did for you last semester—I’m not doing any more.”

His smile rose higher, bordering on amusement. “You chose the path of a combat artist. Now you’re afraid to get your hands dirty?”

“I’ll gladly kill my enemies,” she retorted. “Especially if it makes this world better.”

He hummed in consideration “If only things were so black and white as that.”

She ignored that and pressed on “I’ve been training with Akari Zeller for weeks. She’s my friend. And Relia’s . . .” Elise bit her lip. She’d almost called Relia her sister, but that would be too far. She wanted to stand up for herself, not accuse her parents of lying and abandoning their own child.

Even if it was true.

“Relia’s my friend, too.” The words hung between them for a long moment. She half-expected her father to scold her, or call her naive. They’d been down that road dozens of times.

“I know,” he said with a curt nod. “I appreciate your honesty.”

Her eyes narrowed. “Just like that?”

“I get it.” His footsteps echoed against the stone floor as he closed the distance between them. “They’re both talented mana artists So are the rest of your teammates.”

Elise remained very still, not daring to drop her guard.

“Things have been hard for you these past few years. I doubt your other classmates understand. They’re all striving to catch up with you. That struggle gives them hope. Hope that things will get better someday . . .”

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Her father left the rest unspoken, but this was another well-trodden path. Ashur Moonfire believed he had no true equals, even among his fellow Grandmasters. He believed that happiness was a thing to be pursued, but never achieved.

In a way, he was right. Elise had been lonely last semester, even before she’d betrayed her old alliance. No amount of power would ever fill that void.

But then she’d gotten to know her sister, and everything changed. Like their father, Relia was a mana artist with power beyond her years. She’d lived her life with an early death sentence, and an aspect that stirred fear and hatred in the hearts of everyone she met.

Relia should have been miserable, but she’d chosen to be happy. And why not? If you already knew how your story ended, then why not make the most of your time in this world? And it wasn’t just Relia. It was her whole team. They all stood apart from other mana artists, but they had each other.

Why shouldn’t Elise make the same choice?

Her father gestured down the hall toward the living room. “Mandel is waiting by the airship. He’s taking you to our home in North Stocia.”

Elise blinked. “Why?”

“A precaution. There’ve been rumors of Aeon cultists in the city. I’d rather not leave you alone with them”

“Are you saying we’re not safe here?” That was the opposite of the narrative she’d heard all year.

“I suspect the city will be fine, but the cultists are unpredictable. They may take advantage of my absence.”

“Are the cultists controlling Storm’s Eye?” she asked.

He cocked his head to the side, but his face remained carefully blank. “Is that what they’re saying in school?”

She shrugged. “The spirit’s left us alone for centuries, and now it suddenly wants to kill us all? What’s the point?”

“Not everything makes sense. Even dragons hunt for sport. And while I’d love to blame this crisis on my enemies, it might be a stretch.”

“You’ve never worried about my safety before,” Elise said. “What changed?”

“These are uncertain times,” he continued. “And I don’t take chances with my daughter.”

“Fine,” she said. “I’ll leave tonight.”

“No. I’d prefer to see you off before I leave.” They stepped into the living room with its massive glass windows that overlooked the landing pad. The airship was already running outside, and its crew waited by the ramp. “This isn’t up for debate.”

Elise let out a huff of annoyance. “Can I at least pack my things?”

Her father nodded, and she headed back up the stairs to her bedroom. There, she filled two suitcases in a rush, and her thoughts raced as she worked. Her parents had left her alone plenty of times these past few weeks, so why was today so different? What did her father know? Was he trying to separate Elise from her teammates? Was that why he’d acted so carefree about them? Was he trying to deflect the suspicion from himself if something happened?

She’d have to warn them somehow. Sneaking out wasn’t an option. A network of security sigils surrounded their estate, and these sigils connected to her father’s tablet. He’d know if she slipped out the window.

Could she warn her teammates without going there in person? No. This would take more than a simple phone call or text message. Even if they believed her, they wouldn’t just leave the city without a reason. Glim relied on the Darklights’ power supply to stay active. What’s more, Akari and Kalden were always thinking two moves ahead. They might see this warning as a trap.

And what if they were right? What if her father was playing her right now—making her draw her teammates out of the house? What if his apathy was a ploy to make her drop her guard?

Then again, Akari left the Darklights’ house every day. If her father wanted to kidnap her again, then he could have done it by now. Something bigger was going on here. Whatever it was, she’d rather face it with her team.

Elise zipped up her suitcases and carried them downstairs a few minutes later.

“You know this is just for one day,” her father said with an amused smile. “You could be home by tomorrow night.

Elise handed the suitcases to an airman, and he carried them out onto the landing pad. “I’d rather be prepared. Who knows what other surprises you’ll spring on me.”

“Fair enough, I suppose.” His face softened as he met her eyes again. “Things are complicated right now, but they’ll get better once we defeat Storm’s Eye. I promise.”

“I hope so.” Elise stepped forward and pressed her head against his chest. “Be careful out there.”

Her father pulled her closer, but his armor was hard and cold. No sooner had she pulled away than he retrieved his tablet again and fixed his eyes on its screen.

Elise stepped out the backdoor a second later. The airship’s white hull glowed in the morning light, and the sun’s golden rays reflected off the cockpit. Captain Mandel waited for her at the base of the ramp, along with three other crew members.

The captain held a radio in his right hand, probably so he could tell her father when she’d boarded the ship. Elise was counting on that. She donned her sunglasses as she stepped out from the shadow of the house. Eyes were hard to fake with dream mana, and all four crew members were Artisans. She’d need every advantage she could get.

The crew greeted her as she approached, but Elise only nodded back. Any other day, she might have smiled and made small talk, but she needed to establish a precedent for this trip.

Three more steps, then Elise shrugged out of her training jacket, revealing the blue combat bra beneath. She flexed her abs as she walked, and she used dream mana to enhance their appearance. She’d also changed into a pair of low-rise leggings while she was packing. These were completely impractical for combat—especially with her curves—but they offered a much more tempting view.

None of the crew members stared, or even shifted their gaze. They were far too professional for that. But willpower and focus were finite resources. How could they watch for illusions when they were so busy not studying her bare stomach? Even if they engaged their Silver Sight right now, they’d see nothing but her apparent vanity.

Elise was halfway to the ship when she began her real technique. Dream mana gathered in her left hand, forming a simulacrum with her exact appearance and clothing. In her right hand, she prepared an invisibility Construct to hide her true self.

As always, timing would be the real challenge here. She’d have to form her simulacrum over her body without breaking stride. She’d also have to form her Construct in the same moment. If not, the crew might see them both for a split second. To make matters worse, her simulacrum didn’t have a mind of its own. Elise would have to split her mind in two parts, letting one half control the simulacrum while the other raised the Construct.

Oh well. No sense in overthinking it now. Moments like these were determined in training dojos, not in the heat of battle. Fortunately, Elise had spent the past few weeks training with the toughest Artisan she knew.

Three . . . Two . . . One.

The dream mana flowed out from her hand, coalescing into her techniques. One version of Elise stepped forward, boarding the airship ahead of the crew. Meanwhile, her physical self backtracked toward the house, taking cover within its dark shadow.

The crew boarded the ship behind Elise’s simulacrum, none the wiser. Dream artists liked to pretend they controlled people, but the truth was far simpler. Most techniques came down to managing expectations. Not with mana, but with the mundane interactions between people.

At the end of the day, dream artists didn’t fool anyone. People fooled themselves, seeing exactly what they expected. That was why an Apprentice could fool a group of Artisans, or even a Master.

“She’s on board,” Mandel said into his radio.

“Good,” her father’s voice echoed from the other side. “You’re clear for takeoff.”

Elise’s simulacrum headed straight for her bedroom, giving the crew strict orders not to disturb her. With luck, they would land in North Stocia by the time they realized what happened.

The captain boarded the ship behind his crew, and the ramp rose behind him. Finally, the propellors sent up gusts of wind as the vessel climbed toward the sky.