In the next few days, Lucian didn’t speak to Emma, nor did he even see her. He rarely left his pod, except to shower, use the bathroom, or eat. Several times he reached for his slate to check on her but decided against it.

  When three days had gone by, he was about to text her when, out of the blue, a message from her came in.

  Dirk is causing trouble.

  “Great,” he breathed.

  She attached a video that projected onto his pod’s interior screen.

  Dirk was standing in the galley, a bandage wrapped around his eyes. At least half the passengers were sitting at the tables and hanging on to his every word. Believer Horatia was among them.

  The projection began mid-sentence. “. . . only a matter of time until he does it to one of you too!”

  Kasim let out an angry shout, which only seemed to incite the crowd further.

  “He attacked me,” Dirk went on. “No warning. My friends tried to stop him, but he pinned them with his mind! He burst my eyes from the inside out!” Dirk’s voice became choked, his thin lips twitching in agitation. He cut a pathetic figure, but that didn’t stop people from shouting their support.

  If things didn’t get under control soon, it could get violent.

  “When I learned that Captain Miller had set this dangerous criminal free, I couldn’t believe my ears.”

  Lucian texted Emma back as the video played. When was this?

  Just a few minutes ago.

  Dirk blathered on and on. How mages were a bane upon the Worlds. How it was only a matter of time until someone on board was killed. How even Emma herself had been attacked. The shouts of the crowd drowned out Emma’s protests.

  Watching his vitriol, Lucian’s blood boiled.

  After a particularly impassioned part of his rant, Dirk swelled under the attention.

  “To the bridge!” he said. “Let the captain know what we think of his justice! Lock the psycho up!”

  They began to chant the words, “Lock the psycho up!” over and over. After ten seconds of this, their chanting became weaker. The camera panned upward, focusing on a new figure watching from the second deck. Vera, standing in her customary gray cloak, watched the proceedings in silence. She stood like a bird of prey eyeing her domain, an effect only accentuated by her sharp nose.

  Dirk seemed to know something was wrong, but he did not turn and face upward until Vera spoke.

  “You are blind. Not only in your eyes but in your beliefs.”

  There was dead silence before Dirk recovered. “You’re that creepy old woman next door to me, aren’t you? What do you want?”

  Vera’s stare was icy as she took in the crowd. “This fool is lying to you. He’s a little boy after revenge after he stuck his nose into business that was never his.”

  “She’s the liar,” Dirk spat. “She’s friends with the mage. She has to be a psycho, too!”

  She gave an amused smile, a smile that said she had the upper hand. Everyone watched her as if hypnotized. She commanded an aura of respect, authority, and even fear. The sniveling Dirk couldn’t match her gravitas; his shoulders sagged when he sensed the change in balance.

  “And what if I am a mage? Are you ready to challenge me, as you did Lucian?”

  The galley went dead quiet after that.

  “Listen, and listen well. I know what happened that night. You and your friends hooted like jackals, attacking a helpless young man on his way to Volsung to seek a cure for his affliction. A young mage who had done nothing to threaten or harm you. You pulled him behind your door. You beat him without mercy. He had no way of protecting himself, except, I imagine, the only way he knew how. With his mind. That is your foolishness. Why should any of us sympathize with a mouse who challenged a viper?”

  “You are one of them,” Kasim challenged from the crowd. “I knew it!”

  “Yes,” Vera said. “You’re a quick one, aren’t you? For the rest of his life, my student will have to deal with the likes of you. Only under the greatest duress did he opt to defend himself. A harsh lesson for you . . . but sometimes, pain is the only language a fool understands. And it would seem, even now, the designation of fool is too kind a description for you.” She surveyed the entirety of the galley, her voice cracking like a whip. “Stop this rabble-rousing at once. I haven’t the time or patience for it. I don’t wish to involve myself further. And if there is any more drama, you and your friends will answer to me.”

  With a swirl of her cloak, she stalked off, leaving the galley in silence. The video ended.

  Lucian watched it again, hardly able to believe it. Vera had not only threatened Kasim and Dirk but had revealed herself as a mage. She wasn’t stupid. She couldn’t be. But neither did she seem to care what people did with that information.

  What did it all mean? Why had she done it?

  Just finished, Lucian sent a message to Emma. I don’t know what to say.

  What’s this about you being her student? I told you not to talk to her!

  Lucian couldn’t explain this over text. Let’s meet up somewhere. Is there somewhere we can go that isn't crowded?

  A few minutes later, she sent a message back.

  Meet me in the observatory. I just booked it, so it’s ours for the next hour.

  Within the minute, he was out of the cabin.

  The observatory wasn’t far, down a short corridor sternward away from the second deck cabins. Lucian walked with purpose, not wanting anyone to bother him on the way. The gesture proved pointless because he didn’t run into anyone.

  He turned into the observatory, a small room with a viewport taking up an entire wall. Emma stood before it, facing away and her form framed by stars. It was the first time he’d seen her in days, and he wasn’t sure what to say.

  Emma turned, her face fraught with worry. He joined her by the viewports, though they stood at something of a distance.

  “Doing all right?” she asked.

  Lucian shrugged. “I don’t even know anymore.”

  Stolen novel; please report.

  Emma sidestepped that sentence. “What did she mean by you becoming her student, Lucian? That can’t mean anything other than what I think it means.”

  He didn’t even know where to start, especially considering she knew nothing about his last conversation with her.

  “I’ve been learning from her, though I won’t go so far as to say I’m her formal student.”

  He stopped, not sure how to break the news about her. The news that Emma had already suspected.

  “Anything else?”

  He tried to ignore the edge in her voice. She was the one who had wanted more distance. What did it matter who Lucian talked to?

  “Don’t give me that face,” she said. “You’re hiding something.”

  “What face?”

  “Like you’re mad or something.”

  “I’m not mad.”

  She smiled. “I can see your face, Lucian. You’re not good at hiding your feelings.”

  “Fine,” he said. “You’re just going to think I’m an idiot when I tell you this.”

  “Why don’t you let me be the judge of that?”

  “You can be annoyingly persistent.”

  “I’d like to think it means I care.”

  There was nothing else to be done about it. Emma listened as Lucian told her about his and Vera’s latest meeting. Her expression paled when he mentioned her part in the Mage War.

  “So, she is a Starsea Mage.”

  “Was,” Lucian corrected. “At least, according to her.”

  “She’s dangerous, Lucian. It’s so much worse than I thought . . .”

  “She revealed herself to the entire ship. Either she’s very brave, or very stupid. And she’s not stupid . . .”

  “That proves my point. It gives me chills to even think about you talking to her. Someone who was part of the Starsea Mages on this very ship!”

  She became distant for a moment. He was unsure how to continue, how to justify himself.

  “She only revealed it to me during our last talk. That was a few days ago. I haven’t seen her since.”

  “Because she said she would summon you. Whatever that means.”

  “She has this way of talking inside my mind. She calls it a Psionic link, though she didn’t do it outside the time she talked to me in my cell.”

  “She talked to you in your cell? You didn’t tell me that.”

  “I thought you would think that was weird, so yeah. I held that back.”

  She rolled her eyes. “Now, you’re hiding things from me. Is there anything else I need to know?”

  “You should know everything. I wasn’t trying to deceive you, Emma.”

  “You just thought I wouldn’t understand.”

  It was the opposite. He knew she would understand and try to stop him from doing what he thought was best.

  Emma watched him with concern. “All that she said about you, that whole marked thing. What’s all that about?”

  Lucian shook his head. “I don’t know.”

  “Lucian . . .” She placed a hand on his arm. “Look. You have the information you need about her, right? She was with the Starsea Mages, and that should be all you need to know. I mean, is there really a question? Keep your distance.”

  “She has some solid points, though. I’m not saying the Starsea Mages were good, but maybe not everything about them is bad.”

  “Are you serious? Lucian, billions died because of that war. The Tragedy of Isis!”

  “I don’t know, okay? Yes, they went too far, but what was the result? Now, everyone who’s a mage is hated, and we’re treated like cattle. They want to train us to use our powers, but only for wars and hunting down rogue mages. How’s that a life to be proud of? Maybe we’re meant for more than that.”

  Emma shook her head. “I don’t know what to say, Lucian.”

  “What makes you think the Transcends know what they’re talking about? Magic isn’t black and white, Emma. It’s not something that can be controlled by laws.”

  “That’s how it has been controlled for the last fifty years. And it’s worked pretty well.”

  “Yeah, for everyone in the League besides us.”

  “It’s the way it has to be. If it weren’t like this, none of us would be alive right now. Mages would be decaying on the streets, lashing out at random people or even family members once the fraying reached their brains. Do you know how much damage a single mage can do?”

  She watched him, waiting for an answer.

  Lucian went on stubbornly. “If Vera has answers, we’d be fools not to listen. Vera even admits the Starsea Mages had it wrong sometimes. But they also had a cure for the fraying, but the League destroyed the Starsea Mages before they could share it.”

  “If she truly cared about stopping the fraying, she’s had fifty years to tell us the answer,” Emma said. “Instead, she keeps that secret to herself for her own reasons.”

  “We don’t know her reasons.”

  “Exactly,” Emma said. “It could all be a lie. Or, she could be holding back because she’s still a Starsea Mage. You said yourself that she has the same ideals. She could still hope that Mallis’s vision of Starsea happens. Wouldn’t the cure to the fraying be an excellent reason for any mage to want to join them? Perhaps, even, for you to join them?”

  Lucian had to admit, she made a lot of sense. They had reached a point in the argument where they were no longer listening to each other. Emma just stared into space with a defeated expression.

  “I’m sorry, Emma,” he said. “I mean . . . I understand your points. And you’re probably right.”

  “I know I’m right. I might have the details wrong, but I’ve got to go with my gut here. This lady is a creep and you need to stop spending time with her.” She sighed, in an attempt to calm herself. “You can’t both be accepted at the Academy and learn from someone like Vera. I feel like you’re being swayed. Like . . . I’m losing you.”

  Losing him? “What are you talking about? You’re the one who pushed for distance.”

  “I see now that it was a mistake. I left you alone for a few days, and this happens!”

  “I’m just trying to figure things out like you are. I think you have some preconceived notions that are keeping you from seeing the whole picture.”

  “You’re stubborn as hell, Lucian. Would you just listen to me? Do you want to go to the Volsung Academy or not?”

  The question made him go silent. He wasn’t sure how to answer because he wasn’t even sure what he wanted.

  “You can’t have both, Lucian. The Transcends have their way, and Vera has her own. The Academy Mages had the right of it. They stopped the Starsea Mages from turning the rest of humanity into slaves. Stopped them from burning all the Worlds to ash. They are the side worth dedicating ourselves to.” Her face softened a bit, as if she pitied him, somehow. As if he were someone who just didn’t know better. “Vera, on the other hand. She isn’t helping you out of the kindness of her heart. She’s expecting something in return. And until you know exactly what that is, you would be stupid to learn anything more from her.”

  Lucian stared at her, stunned. Deep down, he knew she was right, but he didn’t want to admit it.

  “Likewise, you can’t follow Vera and expect the Academy to be okay with it. She’s already shifting your attitudes and beliefs. You’re different compared to even a few days ago. She’s taught you a few things about how magic works, sure. All that about the Seven Aspects, Light and Shadow, and whatnot. I won’t deny that. But it’s making you think you know everything already. She’s just one person, Lucian. The Academy has Eight Transcends and dozens of Talents, and it has history and a track record. And they are lawful.”

  Lucian couldn’t argue against her in good faith.

  “Bottom line,” she finished, “I just don’t trust her. And I want you to trust me. You can only choose one side, Lucian. Which will it be?”

  He saw that a choice lay before him, just as Vera had said. He could either follow her or continue to Volsung. He couldn’t have both. He wanted the knowledge Vera provided to help him stand on his own two feet. But he wanted to be with Emma and knew he might not make it far without her watching his back.

  He didn’t want to admit he found Vera’s offer intriguing. The Academy was the path expected of him. What made the most sense. It was the one most mages would take, given the chance. But at the same time, it was no guarantee. He could go down there and be rejected for training. What then? He’d feel like a fool for rejecting Vera’s offer.

  “Well?” Emma asked. “What are you thinking?”

  Lucian shook his head. “I don’t know. I see your point, Emma. I do. But Vera makes a lot of sense, too. The Academy doesn’t seem like a sure thing. At least, not for me.”

  “I don’t understand,” Emma said. “Following her would not only put you at risk. It would be illegal. You’d be a rogue mage. You would be fair game to be tracked down by mage-hunters. Either killed or shipped off to Psyche in chains. Is that the future you want?”

  There was that, too. How long would it be before Academy mages were sent to hunt him?

  “The Volsung Academy can teach you properly,” Emma said. “This Vera . . . we hardly know anything about her, but knowing she is a Starsea Mage should be enough.” She took his hand. At that action, Lucian felt his resolve soften. “The answer is simple. Come with me. Please. If you follow her, you will be going down a dark path. It’s something I feel deep in my core. You are my friend, Lucian. Maybe the only real friend I have now. Don’t follow her. I don’t want to lose you.”

  She made it sound so reasonable. Vera had wrapped her motives in mystery. Whatever Vera’s story, whatever her flaws, she did have one thing going for her. She was speaking from a place of honesty and experience, at least by Lucian’s estimation. Of course, it could all be some grand lie, but to what purpose? What would someone of her stature gain by tricking him?

  Vera knew things, and she could teach them. Did the Volsung Academy, or other academies like it, have a monopoly on magic instruction? The League of Worlds seemed to think so. Then again, just because something was a law didn’t mean it was right. Blindly following orders could be just as dangerous as breaking the rules.

  Each choice was safe in its own way and dangerous in its own way. There were too many unknowns. It was clear Emma cared about him, possibly more than a friend would, just as he cared about her. Why else would she be fighting so vehemently for him to come with her?

  The only thing he knew for sure was that he needed to learn more. He needed to speak with Vera again and figure out what exactly she wanted from him.

  Only then would he make his choice.