Days ticked by, and the daily routine of Te, while packed, became fortable and nearly repetitive. Not that repetitive was bad. Repetitive was how practice became instinct, and well-honed instincts kept delvers alive.

  Natalie, Sofia, and Jordan delved after css each day. None were as iing as the first. They’d lucked into an amazi-up with Ana and Liz. The es and healers they found to trial were, while petent, as all Teudents, not remotely as skilled or as good of a fit as the first team.

  The delves were less iing in other ways, too. Namely, the stickier sort of enter Natalie had gotten into he end. Though that had been … fun … she was gd it wouldn’t be an every-day thing. She was starting to accept—even enjoy—the stranger parts of her css, but that didn’t mean she wanted every delve to end with a body-shaking asm, writhing in the grip of dozens of powerful vines. Or whatever else the dungeon could cook up.

  Especially because it would get rather hard to expin, rather fast. Not just disappearing via trap—or worse, it happening in the open—but the rewards she would have to sneak out. At least, until she brought her team into the loop.

  Both Ana and Liz had no she of teams to trial for, though Liz much more so than Ana. Healers were valuable, doubly so petent ones, and triply so ones with the surname Beaumon. Though circumstances of birth didn’t matter as much at Te as the greater world, they still mattered, with es opening and closing doors someone like Natalie could never manage on her own.

  Not to mentio was only a four year institution. When they graduated, having made allies in the form of the royal family would be, to say the least, a valuable asset.

  So, almost every open team wanted Liz. She might not be joining them. Natalie hoped she did, but she had to admit it was unlikely. Then again, maybe? Natalie pnned on asking Liz about it, today. Si was the sed st day before the weekend, she only had one more trial, and had delved with two other teams. Whether she wao join Natalie’s group should be mostly solidified.

  Spars were as iing as always, being Natalie’s favorite part of the day, barring the obvious: after-css delves. And, uh, the other practical experience-earning enters her css demanded of her, with Jordan and Sammy. But favorite academic part.

  Unfortunately, there was a dowo sparring css. Or ly a downside. Just something Natalie hadn’t a clue how to deal with.

  “Think it’s a ce?” Camille asked. “How our css has most of the better students, and so does theirs?”

  Camille had ‘made friends’ with Natalie. Being the woman Natalie was almost certain had caught her in the restroom, using an illusion of Tess to put on a show, Camille’s presence was, to say the least, awkward. Even a week ter, the knowing smirks she sent Natalie’s way made her face heat up. Natalie didn’t know if she should front her or just ighe teasing. The tter was easier in the short-term, and with how much she had oe, it had been what she’d chosen.

  Though she didn’t o tolerate Camille herself, just the awkward circumstances of what she knew, and how she apparently liked tormenting her. Barring that, the dark-haired woman was a petent mage, had iing insight, was one of the few low-borns like Natalie herself,. Moreover, she was geous and fun to talk with—wheopic didn’t turn to how ‘iing’ Natalie’s illusions were, and whether she’d ever ‘gotteive’ with them.

  Natalie had even offered for Camille to trial with them, but she already had a team. Apparently, she was strictly aligned under House Gylver, and her patroness had anized a team iead with little choi her part. So, lowborn, but not eless. Natalie, Sofia, and Jordan were likely close to unique in that regard. Like Camille, they’d qualified by raw talent alone, raneous factors, but unlike Camille, and most other lowborns at Tehey’d done so without being noticed. From the far south of Valhaur, no-where nd to put it generously, they’d snuck past any major house’s attention. Or even minor house.

  “ce?” Natalie echoed. “Probably not. I get the feeli picked csses carefully. How else would me, Jordan, and Sofia be together?”

  “Bigger picture than that, even,” Camille said. “Not just putting people who know each ether, but it seems like the good csses have all the talent, and the bad csses … well. Don’t. Remember yesterday?”

  Natalie wrinkled her nose. She didn’t like ying down a batement like ‘everyone from yesterday was terrible’, but it was true.

  For the past week, Instructor Robin had had them sparring against students from other csses. Internal fights only did so much, si didn’t take long to learn each other’s abilities. The primary be from fighting other students was the varian skillsets, the same as found down in the dungeon, and thus a growing capability to adapt to an unknown oppo.

  “They weren’t the best,” Natalie agreed.

  “But today.” Camille whistled. “Css twelve.”

  Today’s oppos were a different matter. For maybe the first time, they were, as a whole, losing. Not that these fights were really about winning or losing, but Natalie suspected everyorack. She wouldn’t say she had enormous css pride, but she’d been noting each of her cssmate’s performances, and the css as a whole, and had been satisfied after spars each day, seeing them e out as an overall victor.

  “They’re the oo watch for, if I had to guess,” Natalie said.

  “To put it lightly. Bet the top list is gonna be half full of them. Guess it makes seoo. They have Elida and Johanna.”

  “Elida and Johanna?”

  Camille gave her an odd look.

  It gave her a fshbamy—when Natalie had demonstrated her cluelesso the ‘political situation’ at Te.

  “They’re important, I’m taking it,” Natalie said dryly.

  “Maybe you should speime practig with your illusions,” Camille said, “and more on learning who the best students of the year are.”

  Natalie’s cheeks colored. Like usual, Camille made it obvious she knew what had happened in the restroom, but never poi out directly. Always yered in innuendo. But to her actual point—“I’m more focused on my own business.”

  She realized her mistake a sed too te. A grin split Camille’s face.

  “Yes,” Camille leered. “You’re very occupied with yourself. I’m well aware.”

  “Shut up.” By instinct, she went on the offensive. “And for someoalking about this so much, I’m starting to think you’re just as creative with your spells.”

  Camille bli her. “With my spells? How?”

  Bizarrely, the fusion seemed genuine. Natalie flushed even deeper. “Your vines and stuff. Please.” She nt-based mage, and Natalie had learned first-hand how that could be … employed iain ways.

  “My vines?”

  “You’re fooling no one.”

  Slowly, Camille pieced it together. Her mouth fell open. “Are you suggesting what I think you are?”

  Mortifyingly, Natalie retty sure Camille really hadn’t ever sidered it. To be fair, Natalie’s mind had only gohere because of the enter down in the dungeon.

  Face crimson, Natalie turned away and crossed her arms.

  “You really have an imagination,” Camille said, shaking her head. “I aspire to it. Maybe I will aim for some creativity.”

  “Elida,” Natalie said, trying not to let that image linger. “Who is she?”

  “Don’t try to ge the topiy specific suggestions?”

  “Elida,” Natalie repeated firmly.

  “Maybe you want to e help? Teach me? A lesson from mage to mage?”

  Natalie froze.

  Camille ughed, and before Natalie could respond, she’d moved on. Maybe too quickly, and with her own pink tint to her cheeks, as if the st sentence had gooo far, slipped out by act.

  “Elida Parda-Halt,” Camille said. “Third daughter to Ardell Parda-Halt. You seriously don’t know her?”