I pressed my forehead against the chipped paint of Hopsander’s office door for just a moment, letting the quiet hum of the corridor settle around me. The late afternoon light bled through the stained glass behind me, painting the floor in dull reds and greens. Most of the academy rested, curled into itself after the trial. The corridors were emptier than usual—no laughter, no chatter, just the hush of old stone and distant footsteps.

  ‘Are you sure this is a good idea?’ Fern asked, his voice low and unsure inside my mind.

  We’re running out of time and options. If anyone on the staff will help, it’s Hopsander.

  ‘Uh, did you forget what my brother said? Trust no one. That means Hopsander.’

  I know what your brother said, Fern, I thought as I picked my thumb. But I trust Hopsander. He’s been there for us since the beginning. A spy is in the academy, and we were threatened last night. Oh, and did I forget that my brother may or may not be in control of his own body, and that he may or may not be planning to commit atrocities? We can’t just sit by and not do anything. We need to act.

  ‘But are you sure we need to go to Hopsander right now? We are already stronger than our classmates, plus we have that sword.’

  Oh, trust me, I haven’t forgotten about the cursed thing.

  My fingers brushed the sword’s hilt. The black pulsing runes replayed in my mind. The sensation that I felt when I cut through the body of the Guardian was unnatural. The blade cut too easily, and I plunged it too willingly.

  ‘I’m just saying I haven’t seen any curse yet,’ Fern said. ‘Maybe Dog was lying.’

  Look, there are just too many unknowns. Hopsander knew we were a twin soul, wanted to help. I’m positive he’s not the spy. At some point, you have to be able to recognize who will help you and who cares about you, I said to Fern.

  ‘But what about what Lotrick said?’ Fern insisted.

  I’m sorry, Fern, but I’ve made my decision. It’s the right one. You’ll see.

  I lifted my hand and knocked three times. The sound seemed unnaturally loud in the silence.

  “Come in,” the frog-man’s voice croaked from inside.

  I slipped into the small office and shut the door quietly behind me. Stacks of training manuals and wrinkled battle charts cluttered the shelves. Dried herbs hung from the rafters, leaving a faint medicinal smell that reminded me of an incense shop. Hopsander sat at a worn wooden desk, polishing a halberd’s blade with deliberate care. He looked up, eyebrows rising slightly.

  “You should be resting, Erik,” the frog-man said. “The trial took a toll on everyone.”

  I took a step closer. “You’re investigating why the Guardian appeared on the first floor, right? I think I have a lead.”

  He leaned back, resting the halberd across his knees. “Go on.”

  I told him everything Lotrick had said, and what I had witnessed Waelid do. I also told him about Pestil and my suspicions of him. If I couldn’t trust Hopsander, who could I trust? Through it all, Fern lingered silently in the back of my mind.

  Hopsander’s jaw tightened. He listened without interrupting, although I saw his eyes narrow at certain words—Waelid, Noah, and twin souls.

  When I finished, he breathed out slowly. “Erik, these are wild claims. Your brother is the magelord of Stylos? Waelid sacrificed students? A spy, and a cursed sword?”

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  I slid the sword’s blade an inch from its scabbard, letting him see the strange runes. It was the only thing I could physically show him to back up my words.

  Hopsander frowned with a sharpened gaze. Then he held out his hand, and I withdrew the blade. “Why tell me all his?” he asked.

  “I need help. I need an ally,” I said, voice firm. “My brother is out there, and I don’t know how much time I have to reach him. If he really is a twin soul, he might already be lost.”

  Hopsander studied me. “And you think I can help train you to be stronger? So you can reunite with him”

  “Yes. Exactly.”

  “And Waelid?”

  “Waelid crossed a line. What he did to those kids? That’s not strength. That’s betrayal. I won’t step on people to get stronger, and I won’t let it go unanswered either. It’s just a personal moral stance.”

  Hopsander rubbed his forehead and looked at me. “If what you said is true, Waelid’s actions are deplorable. However, the rumor that he is above any punishments is . . . unfortunately correct. His strength, potential, and voidblood ties are so great that most rules do not apply to him.”

  “I understand, but—”

  “But.” He clapped his hands. “That does not mean you can’t challenge him to a duel for justice if you still want it. Although, from what you’ve told me, it sounds like you should work on getting stronger and finding this spy first, huh?”

  I bit the inside of my cheek. “You’re right; Captain, does this mean you will help me?”

  “What do you need from me?”

  I took a step forward and grabbed a seat. “Power, as much of it as possible. I need to be able to match the strongest of the royal mageblood officers—at least, enough to make it to my brother.” I folded my arms. “Aren’t there any ways I could train faster than the others? Laska mentioned there’s specialized training to get to level three.”

  “That girl . . .” He rubbed his chin and then looked up at me. “My lad. If I do what you ask, I could be making the single most horrible decision to ever affect this planet. The potential of true twin souls is nearly limitless. To cultivate the power of a twin soul willingly is to cultivate death. Millions could die by your hands, and you wouldn’t even know it.”

  “Captain Hopsander.” I stood up and saluted him before bowing. “Please, I don’t ask for world-dominating power. I only wish to get strong enough to find my brother. Please, sir, we are all that each other has left. I need to know his soul still lives.” Tears started to form in my eyes. Speaking it out loud made me feel more than I had anticipated.

  The frog-man sat back and looked at me. “All right,” he grumbled. “I may regret this, and they may curse me for eternity, but I’ll help ya out, lad.” I looked up at him to see him smiling large and pulling out a small pipe.

  “Really?”

  Hopsander nodded, and I reached out and shook his hands.

  “Thank you! Thank you! When can we start? I am ready now!”

  “Easy there, lad, we just established this partnership. Is the other one all right with this agreement?” He nodded toward me, and then I knew he was talking about Fern.

  Fern? I asked him.

  ‘I still want Waelid to pay. But . . . I guess focusing on getting stronger is more important. Just don’t forget our deal, okay? Get my body back. And Waelid gets what he deserves. That’s two promises now, okay?’ Fern said, insisting on my agreement.

  Okay, okay. I promise. I will find a way to get our bodies back, and we will duel Waelid.

  “He agrees,” I said to Hopsander.

  “Great, you asked what we need to do. The spy seems to be the most urgent matter. If they are in fact spying and sending items to the royal palace, they must have direct access to the massive storage room below the academy.” Hopsander stood up and walked around his desk. “I will do a little investigation myself among the teachers. If the magebloods get access to pillardust, they could pierce the barrier and invade us. We will need our most trusted staff working on this,” he said, slinging a heavy, brown cloak over his arms.

  “Wait, what about Pestil? You shouldn’t trust him.”

  “Trust me lad, Pestil is the one person we can trust the most. Now, I have an idea on what you can do. How do you feel about getting special access to the secret archives?”

  A wide smile spread across my face. “I feel ecstatic about that.”

  Hopsander cocked his head and smiled. “Good, I want you to grab two of your trusted friends and go in looking for anything relating to extra shipments. There should be files for everything the academy sends out to sell in the bigger cities. There may be something in those files that could tell us something about the spy, what they are sending, or who approved it.” He paused. “It will be late, after everyone has gone to bed. Meet me behind the library’s east wing when the twin moons are on the west side of the pillar. If we do this, we move in silence, and we do not get caught. The headmaster will throw a fit if he knows I’m letting first-years in, but given the situation, we know for a fact that first-years are innocent. Do you understand, lad?”

  I nodded, relief clawing up my throat. “I do.”

  I slipped out of the office with him. Hopsander gave me a nod and headed up to the left, going further into the academy. I went the opposite way, stepping into a small courtyard with a leafless tree in the center. Fading sunlight cast a warm glow on the dry grass. It was quiet, and there was no one around, but I felt a little bit less lonely.