Akari followed her friends into the backyard for their first day of team training. By now, they were two weeks into their break, and Midwinter was just a few days away. A warm spell had swept through Koreldon City, melting the snow and turning the yard into a soggy mess of puddles and mud.

They followed the path from the patio to the edge of the pool. Heat sigils prevented the water from freezing, but it was still too cold to swim in. Unless, of course, you were a Dream Artist who could play tricks on your own mind. She’d even seen Elend meditating underwater for up to an hour at a time. Was that a Grandmaster thing, or had he trained to do that? Maybe both.

Their new teammates showed up a few minutes later, following the winding path from the driveway into the backyard. Zukan Kortez led the way. Even from across the yard, it was impossible to miss the dragon’s hulking frame and black fedora.

Arturo Kazalla trailed behind his friend, riding a black and yellow hoverboard. Short and slender, the Cadrian boy had a rounded face and close-cropped hair. He normally preferred flashy clothing at school, but he wore a simple black t-shirt and combat pants today. A pair of leather belts crossed his chest, lined with various weapons and gadgets.

Zukan took the long way around the pool, while Arturo hovered straight over it. The water rippled beneath his board, and Akari wondered what aspects he’d used to power it. Probably some combination of gravity and force mana, the same way airships were made.

Arturo lowered his sunglasses and eyed the surrounding architecture. “Nice place you got here. Always liked the classics.” He hopped off his board when he reached the pool’s edge, then he frowned when he saw Relia’s silver necklace.

Relia raised an eyebrow, as if daring him to complain about it. Their new teammates knew about her aspect, but they hadn’t talked much since the semester ended.

Arturo drew in a deep breath and shot a glance at Zukan, who was still walking around the pool. “You know Death Artists killed his parents, right?”

Relia’s face softened as the dragon approached their group. “Look, we’re gonna be teammates, so you should probably know this about me. Lyraina Trelian was my grandmother. She’s the one who trained me and gave me this aspect.”

Seriously? Akari shot her a sidelong glance. Why not just tell them about the Archipelago while you’re at it? Zukan and Arturo might be their teammates now, but that didn’t make them all best friends.

Then again, how many problems had Akari caused by keeping stuff bottled up? Images of a young Emberlyn Frostblade flashed in her mind’s eye, but she pushed them away. That was not the same thing. She’d told Kalden everything about that dream. She hadn’t told Elend, but he would want to dig deeper, and her instincts said that was a terrible idea.

“Your grandmother?” Arturo’s eyebrows shot up from behind his sunglasses. By now, he’d probably watched the replays of the qualifying rounds, and it wouldn’t take him long to put the pieces together. “You’re saying that Senator Moonfire has Aeon blood?”

“I wouldn’t repeat that out loud,” Kalden said in a low voice. “Politicians will kill to protect secrets like that.”

The other boy raised his hands in mock surrender. “Hey, don’t need to tell me twice, shoko.”

Relia cleared her throat. “The point is, this was my family’s sigil for years, long before the Aeon cults existed.”

Zukan crossed his massive green arms. “Meanings can change with time.”

“You wear an Angelic symbol.” Akari gestured to the dragon’s gold necklace. “You gonna stop wearing that when some Angel cultists kill someone?”

“What cultists?” Zukan replied in his gravelly voice.”Only the Aeons have cults.”

“I dunno. The Sons of Talek?”

“Those guys aren’t real.” Arturo took off his sunglasses and clipped them on his t-shirt. “It’s just a conspiracy theory.”

Akari narrowed her eyes. “Who do you think attacked me last semester?”

“Valeria Antano,” he said at once. “But she acted alone. The Dragonlord even banished her from Creta when he found out.”

Akari blinked. “What? Since when?”

“This Irinday. It was all over the news.”

“Did they say why?” She and her friends had spent the whole break training, so they’d fallen behind on current events. You could always catch up on the news. Training, not so much.

“The usual BS,” Arturo said with a shrug. “Valeria’s assassins ratted her out, and the Dragonlord didn’t want to get dragged down in the mess.”

Huh. Was that because of the oath he’d sworn to Elend? And what did that mean for Akari? Would the dragon double down on her grudge, or would she find someone else to terrorize?

Zukan kept his golden eyes fixed on Relia’s pendant. “Do you intend to wear that in public?” Akari almost jumped to her friend’s defense again, but the dragon cut her off. “As your teammates, this affects all of us.”

“Maybe,” Relia said. “But I’ll be done with it before we start classes.”

Zukan nodded, and that was the last anyone said about Relia or her Aeon bloodline. Akari had expected more questions, especially about her grandmother. Then again, you couldn’t shoot a Missile at KU without hitting at least three famous people.

The conversation took a lighter turn as they gave their new teammates a brief tour of the house. After that, Arturo showed them some of the tech he’d designed over the break. He even let them ride his hoverboard around the yard.

Finally, nine o’clock rolled around, and they waited for Elend to join them. Instead, another figure appeared on the paved walkway near the side yard. She wore her golden hair in a braid, and a hundred small crystals decorated the front of her tank top.

Elise Moonfire.

Elise freaking Moonfire was strutting through the Darklight’s backyard as if she owned the place. This was the girl who’d stabbed them in the back during the qualifying rounds. And it wasn’t a metaphorical stabbing, either. She’d stuck actual blades in their spinal cords. Worst of all, she’d conspired with the Sons of Talek and helped them capture her.

Spacetime mana raced through Akari’s channels, and her blood was hot enough to melt iron. Why was Elise here? No one wanted to see her again, not even Relia.

On second thought, did the reason matter? An enemy had come into their territory, and Akari would react accordingly. They’d fallen for Elise’s tricks before, and it had almost cost them everything.

Not again.

Akari thrust out her hands and launched a pair of spacetime Missiles. The first formed into a portal beneath her opponent’s feet. The second portal formed over the swimming pool.

Elise plunged feet-first into the icy water. Akari’s portals winked out, but she reformed them an instant later, facing the first one down on the concrete. This made a ceiling over the pool’s surface, more than six feet wide. Elise tried to swim around the Construct but Akari moved quicker, always keeping it above her opponent’s head.

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Elise struggled and thrashed for several seconds, but Akari’s portals held her beneath the water. It didn’t take long for the guilt to twist her stomach. She’d once been trapped beneath the ice on Arkala until she passed out. She knew exactly how terrifying that was.

Zukan stepped forward, putting his hulking frame between Akari in the pool. “Let her go.”

Akari dropped her techniques, but Elise didn’t resurface. She hadn’t passed out that fast, had she? They all stepped closer to the pool, checking every corner.

“What the hell?” Arturo looked at Akari. “Where’d you put her, shoka?”

Akari tossed up her hands. “This wasn’t me!”

The boy looked skeptical, which was fair. Akari was the only one here with spacetime powers. But in this case, she was telling the truth.

Akari relaxed into her Silver Sight and saw clouds of broken dream mana mixed with the water. The answer struck her a second later, and she spun around to see Elise standing behind the group. Her golden hair was as dry as before. So was her outfit and makeup.

Of course . . . she’d sent in a simulacrum, just like she’d done during the qualifying rounds.

The real Elise crossed her arms, and her lips made a thin line. “If you’re quite finished, then maybe we can do some actual training?”

Akari’s rage returned, and she cycled her mana again.

The others turned around at the sound of her voice, and Kalden spoke first. “What are you doing here, Elise? How’d you get past the wards?”

Surprise flashed in her sky-blue eyes. “Grandmaster Darklight didn’t tell you?”

Akari glanced at Kalden and Relia, but they looked as confused as she felt. “Didn’t tell us what?”

And of course, Elend chose that exact moment to emerge from the house. “Excellent,” he said as he followed the stone path from the patio. “Everyone’s getting along. Here I was, worried someone would end up in the pool.”

Akari turned her glare on Elend. For Talek’s sake, did he think this was funny? Elise had conspired to kill her last semester. Even Relia hadn’t forgiven her for that.

In fact, it was Relia who spoke first. “What’s she doing here?”

“We need six for a team,” Elend said. “You only had five, so I secured one of this year’s top students.”

“Seriously?” Akari said. “You kept this a secret from us?”

“Of course not. I planned to tell you all during the first team meeting.” Elend gestured around at the group. “And here we are.”

“You could have warned us,” she shot back.

“Why’s that?” Elend said with an amused smile. “To give you time to plot and scheme? So you could hide your true reactions when this moment finally came?” He spread out his hands. “If you’re going to fight, I’d prefer it happens here and now.”

Akari stepped forward, prepared to do just that. Then she glanced around and realized it was a rhetorical statement. “I know what you’re doing,” she said after a short pause. “You’re trying to make us pissed at you instead of her.”

“Obviously,” Elend said with a nod.

“Elise tried to have Akari killed!” Relia glared at her sister. Like, actually glared. Akari had never seen her glare at anyone before, and it made her look almost as scary as Zukan.

Elise tried to plead ignorance, but her voice got lost in the uproar.

“She screwed us all,” Arturo said. “How can we work with someone we can’t trust?”

“She was spying for her parents before,” Kalden agreed. “How do we know she’s not doing the same thing now?”

“Alright, alright.” Elend held up a hand. “One question at a time.” He turned to Elise. “Miss Moonfire, do you plan on spying for your parents? Keep in mind, I’ll know if you lie.”

Surprise flashed across her face, but she smoldered it quickly and spent a few seconds mulling over her answer. “It’s not my primary reason for being here if that’s what you’re asking.”

Akari snorted. That was as good as a confession.

Elend only nodded as if he’d expected that. “And do you plan to sabotage this team in any way?”

“No.” she said with far more conviction.

“And what if your parents ask you for other favors?” Elend asked. “For example, luring someone into a trap on behalf of a certain shady organization?”

Elise’s gaze flickered to Akari, and she almost showed some remorse. “I’ll refuse to do it.”

Well, that was something, at least. And Elend was skilled enough to look past the exact words and see her intentions. Still . . . what the hell was he thinking? No way this would end well for anyone.

Kalden cleared his throat. “The rules say we can remove team members with a unanimous vote. Are you going to overrule us if we do that?”

“That depends,” Elend said. “Can you find a better teammate to replace her?”

Akari ran through a mental list of names, but it didn’t her take long to see the problem. Aside from Zukan, only the upperclassmen were objectively better than Elise Moonfire, and they’d all paired off in their own teams.

“I don’t want the best teammate.” Relia kept glaring at her sister. “I want the right one.”

Everyone nodded in agreement. Even Elend smiled as if conceding her point. “The qualifying rounds were designed to entertain the audience, and they bring out the worst in people.” Elend glanced around the circle, meeting each of their eyes. “Despite this, you were willing to give each other a chance.”

“That’s not the same,” Kalden said. “We honored our deals with each other.”

“And your former teams?” he replied. “Tori Raizen? Lyra Manastrike? Nico Talez? Did you honor your deals with them?”

“They’re not here,” Kalden said. “And no one’s asking them to trust us again.”

“So those bridges are burned forever?” Elise asked with feigned curiosity. “Or can you see the game for what it was and move on?”

Akari opened her mouth again, ready to remind him that Elise Moonfire’s plans had nothing to do with the game. But of course, Elend would point out her own mistakes, and ask whether people could change. Better not to go down that path.

“How about this,” Elend said. “You all give Miss Moonfire the same deal you gave each other. Wait until the end of this school year, then decide what to do. I’ll accept whatever you choose.”

Akari exchanged a look with Kalden and Relia, but they were clearly out of arguments. Elend already knew Elise might spy for her parents, so they’d have to watch what they said around her.

Beyond that, Elend wouldn’t let her get away with traps or sabotage. He’d been away during the qualifying rounds, but that was to investigate Sozen and to save Relia. He wouldn’t leave them alone again.

“Good.” Elend clapped his hands together. “I have a few more announcements. First of all, none of you will be attending Grandmaster Raizen’s class this semester. Instead, I’ll be overseeing your combat training myself.”

He’d already shared this news with Akari and the others. Grandmaster Raizen had been overseeing the qualifying rounds when Akari was captured. That meant he’d looked the other way when it happened, and he could no longer be trusted.

“You believe you can train us better?” Zukan asked. His tone wasn’t disrespectful, just curious.

“Yeah,” Arturo said. “No disrespect, Grandmaster, but you aren’t even a combat specialist.”

A full-length mirror formed beside Elend. It was the sort of mirror you might see looming in the corner of a fancy bedroom. Except this mirror didn’t have a stand; it just floated over the grass like Arturo’s hoverboard. Glim appeared there second later, wearing a blue version of Elise’s training outfit.

Elend made a sweeping gesture at the mirror. “Everyone, meet Glimmer. Or Glim for short. She’s a mana spirit, but she also serves as my Second Brain.”

Glim crossed her arms and gave Elend a frank look. “You know, that might be the worst intro ever.”

“I wasn’t finished,” Elend said with a raised finger. “Glim has perfect recall, and her working memory is several times more efficient than an ordinary human. This means she’s capable of inhaling massive amounts of data. She can also understand that data and make relevant models.”

A dozen screens formed above Elend’s head. Each one was the size of a large television, and the group had to step back to take in the whole sight.

Elend turned back to Zukan. “In your case, Mr. Kortez, Glim has examined every one of your recorded duels, from the time you could walk, until last semester’s qualifying rounds.”

The screens lit up with footage of Zukan from all ages. The first screen showed him as a toddler, swinging a wooden stick. He was surprisingly cute, with eyes twice as large as a human baby. Several other screens showed him in school-related duels, and the last few covered this past semester.

Elend paced back and forth in front of the screens. “It’s clear that you favor your late father’s fighting styles.” All twelve screens froze, showing Zukan in various combat poses. “But you’re too derivative. You’ll never reach Master if you don’t develop your own style. To do that, you’ll need to branch out and study more than just Blademaster Kortez.”

Zukan’s eye twitched at that, but he kept the rest of his face blank.

“Which brings me to your next flaw,” Elend said. “You’re too much of a perfectionist. This served you well for your first semester, but it won’t last. Very soon, your peers will study your style and prepare their counters accordingly. Then you’ll lose to objectively weaker opponents. Not because they’re better than you, but because they’ll adapt far faster.”

Elend had given Akari a similar lecture last week, but she’d never realized it applied to Zukan as well. Then again, he’d also said that nine out of ten prodigies never reached Master because their success stifled their own creativity.

“And those are just the large-scale problems,” Elend said. “Tactically, you rely too much on your aspect and its expensive techniques. This lets you take out your opponents quickly, but the battlegrounds aren’t duels. As the tank, you need to take hits for your teammates. Maybe even fifty, or a hundred hits in a single fight. Your aspect’s Cloak and Constructs won’t last that long. Your opponents will do the math to drain your mana as much as possible.”

Elend gestured back to the mirror. “Glim will simulate a model of your ideal self, and then help you close the gap to get there. Schools make competent Artisans, but this is how future Mystics train.”

Zukan closed his mouth, then bowed over his salute.

“And yes,” Elend said. “I do have plans for the rest of you. Any other questions? No? Excellent. That brings us to the matter of your team captain.”

Akari glanced around at the others. She knew it was the coach’s job to pick a captain, but she might actually ragequit if he chose Elise. Kalden and Arturo were the best at strategy, so they were the obvious picks. Relia would also be an Artisan soon, so she wouldn’t be a bad choice, either.

Elend surveyed the group one last time before fixing his eyes on her. “Congratulations, Akari Zeller.”