Naveen scowled. “I failed a class... and I got a ‘W’ in two others.”

I blinked. I knew “W” stood for Weak. So that was three classes he wasn’t doing well in. I wondered which ones they were. I knew for a fact that he’d passed Basic Combat. He and Professor Stonefist got on well and she’d even commended him in front of the class a few times.

“A ‘Weak’ is basically the same as a fail,” Naveen said miserably. “That’s three classes I’m flunking.”

“We have Springrise exams coming up at the end of term,” I said slowly. “Maybe you’ll do well on those. Now that we know, Florence and I can help you study. We can quiz you, make sure you’re more prepared.”

“Maybe.” He didn’t look convinced. “But more likely, by the end of the year, I’ll be out of here.”

There was something in his expression I didn’t understand.

“Well, even if that does happen, there’s more to life than Bloodwing, right?” I reminded him, trying to cheer him up. “There must have been other things you wanted to be, besides a scout for the highblood houses. Your family lives in a dwarven city. There must be other paths you could take. What do your parents do? You have siblings, right?”

“You don't understand,” Naveen said, almost angrily, cutting me off. “I knew you wouldn’t. When you attend Bloodwing, you’re committed, Medra. It doesn’t just end if you fail.”

I furrowed my brow. “I get that.” But I wasn’t sure I did. Florence had never fully explained.

“Best case scenario,” Naveen continued. “Is that they make my family pay for everything. All the tuition fees are waived for successful students. They assume we’ll pass so your family isn’t responsible for anything up front. But this is the most expensive school in Sangratha. If you fail and you’re actually sent home, your family has to pay for your failure. It’s a massive amount, Medra. My family could probably manage it. We’re not poor. But the shame, the humiliation. My father would be furious.”

“If that’s the best case scenario?” I asked tentatively. “What’s the worst?”

Naveen hesitated, glancing around the room nervously. “Most students who fail never go home again. They’re sent elsewhere. I think it’s mostly assumed they’re sent to a highblood house to work as indentured servants.” He put his head in his hands. “I guess after Springrise, I’ll be continuing my friendship with you and Florence by letter.”

“What?” I exclaimed. That sounded little better than slavery. I lowered my voice. “How can they do that? You really can’t go home? Ever”

Naveen shrugged. “I don’t know. I guess it’s the same thing as making your family pay off your debt. But that’s just a guess. And I’m not even sure that is the worst case scenario. Other students I’ve talked to think they might...”

Before he could say more, the Common Room door opened and Florence walked in beside Vaughn Sabino. They were both talking and laughing. When they spotted us, they headed straight for the couch.

Naveen’s eyes widened in panic. “Promise me you won’t tell them,” he whispered urgently.

I nodded quickly. “Of course not,” I said, just as Florence and Vaughn reached us.

The dark-skinned, lanky boy plopped down beside me with a grin and stretched out his long legs comfortably with a sigh of relief. Florence sat down more primly in an armchair by Naveen, tucking her skirt around her legs.

“So, how about that Basic Combat class?” Sabino asked, still smiling. “It was a rough one, right?”

I couldn’t help grinning back at him. Over the last few weeks, Vaughn had seemed to be returning to his usual self. The bruises had faded. His arm had healed amazingly well. So well that he’d been permitted to stay in Professor Stonefist’s class. She’d made sure we’d all taken it easy on him for the first while. But lately she seemed to have no qualms about pushing him just as hard as the rest of us.

I had never spotted Theo with Vaughn again since the night of the bonfire. I wondered if Vaughn blamed Theo for what had happened to him. If so, I didn’t really blame him.

Each time I saw Theo Drakharrow around the hall, he did little more than nod to me. He hadn’t been beaten like Vaughn had– or if he had, he’d hidden it well–and yet his former air of carelessness and theatricality seemed to have diminished. Secretly, I thought it was a little sad.

But still, I reminded myself, Theo was a Drakharrow. He was a part of a dark and twisted family. And as a highblood, he needed blood to survive and keep his powers up. Just because I didn’t see him drinking from his house thralls in public like Catherine Mortis didn’t mean it wasn’t part of his regular routine.

I tried to focus on what Vaughn was saying.

“I think Stonefist is going to finally start throwing some stealth lessons our way.”

I nodded, thinking back to the class. “She said we’re finally getting closer to where she wants us to be in terms of hand-to-hand. It would be nice to have a change of pace.”

Florence had been listening. “I still can't imagine what it is you do in those classes,” she said, wrinkling up her nose slightly in distaste.

I laughed. “We pummel each other for hours,” I said jokingly. “But I promise, it’s fun. Really, we’ve been practicing disarming and grappling for weeks now. But Stonefist says none of that would be enough for those who wind up as scouts if they don’t also have skill in stealth.”

“And she’s not wrong,” Vaughn said, leaning back against the couch. “Of course, it’s not as if we don’t have time to acquire the skills. It’s only our first year, after all. I’ve heard some First Year cohorts don’t even get into stealth training at all by the end of Springrise. Professor Stonefist can be kind of a stickler if she thinks you’re not ready.”

“Better that than letting us get too far ahead of ourselves, I guess,” Naveen chimed in.

I was happy to see him taking part in the conversation. We continued to chat about the class, talking about who seemed to be struggling the most with the newest grappling technique we’d been taught, and speculating on when Stonefist might let us finally switch to something more interesting.

When the conversation finally lulled, Florence jumped up. “Come on, let’s head down to the refectory. I’m starving.”

The great hall was buzzing with the usual crowd of students unwinding after the day’s classes. The scent of freshly cooked food hit my nostrils and made me realize just how hungry I was.

My eyes drifted over to the House Drakharrow table. Blake sat there, beside Theo and Regan. But he had his back to me.

My hand absently reached up to my neck, brushing against one of the sensitive places Blake’s mouth had been that night in the Sanctum. With a little huff of annoyance, I yanked it back down as I realized what I was doing.

I sat down at a table with my friends, filling my plate, and forcing myself not to look at Blake’s back.

Had he lied to me? Today had been just another ordinary day. Yet he’d promised that the Consort Games would be held soon. Maybe I’d been wrong to trust him, to drink that vial–even with all he’d confessed about Aenia.

After finishing up dinner in the refectory, I said goodnight to Florence and the others and then made my way to my room, suddenly exhausted. Clearly that vial of Blake’s blood I’d drunk wasn’t about to give me insomnia, even if it did heighten my strength and senses.

The conversation I’d had with Naveen lingered in my mind.

Part of me felt guilty knowing I now had to keep what he’d told me from Florence. I suspected she’d have had a much better idea of what to do to help him.

I decided I’d have to talk to Naveen again alone and try to persuade him to talk to Florence–about his grades, even if nothing else. Maybe Florence’s mother, Jia, would know of some options for Naveen. Surely there was a way he’d be able to repeat the class he’d failed, do some make-up assignments, or retake his exams.