I nodded. “We’ll honor him by surviving.” I knew that was what he’d want for Florence. I wasn’t sure what he’d want for me.

Regardless, I didn’t want my friend harboring too much anger towards the highbloods who had done this to Naveen. I wouldn’t have Florence risking herself. It was too dangerous.

And what about me? I’d harbor my anger, store it away, save it up. If what Kage had said was true, something was coming. Whatever it was, maybe I could use it to my advantage.

Because it wasn’t Regan who was really to blame for what had happened to Naveen. It wasn’t even entirely me–though I would hold onto that guilt like a tether for the rest of my days, refusing to let go. The entire highblood way of life was to blame.

I forced my thoughts away from the darkness and scanned the courtyard ahead as more and more students joined the crowd.

Someone punched me on the arm, hard, and I yelped. “Ouch!”

“There you are,” Visha smirked. Her short, silvery-white hair caught the sunlight. She'd razored the sides and looked even more badass than usual. She tucked her hands into the pockets of her trousers. “Mind if I join you two? Thought I’d slum it up today.”

She laughed as she caught my expression. “Only joking. Who do you take me for? Regan?”

She inclined her head slightly and I saw Regan on the far side of the courtyard. The queen bee of House Drakharrow was standing all alone.

Visha nudged me. I turned my head and saw Quinn, Gretchen, and Larissa. They had their heads together and were whispering while looking over at Regan.

“How the mighty have fallen.” Visha drawled.

“If I know Regan, she won’t stay fallen for long,” I said drily.

“Oh, she’ll crawl back up out of the gutters, no doubt,” Visha agreed. “It’ll take her a while though. And in the meantime, we can all enjoy her suffering.”

“Good afternoon, girls.” It was Professor Rodriguez. For once his dark hair was neatly combed. There were no patches on the dark brown corduroy jacket he wore either. He looked at me, his gaze softening slightly. “Miss Pendragon, Miss Shen, Miss Vaidya. I wanted to wish you all luck today.”

“Thank you, Professor,” Florence said, smiling brightly. “I’m looking forward to seeing more of you next year in Intermediate Alchemy.”

“Does that mean you’ve decided on a healer path, Miss Shen?” Rodriguez asked.

“Not exactly, sir,” Florence said, blushing.

“Ah. You've received permission to extend your decision?” Rodriguez smiled. “They only do that for exceptional students. Good luck making your final choice next year.”

Before Florence could say anything further, a tall figure strode up and slapped Rodriguez on the back with an easy laugh. “There you are, Gabriel. Ready for Summerfell break?”

We eyed Professor Sankara with interest. The highblood teacher had changed up his appearance a bit, letting his normally tightly cropped curly hair grow out a bit. Silver stubble coated his handsome face, giving him a more rugged appearance.

“Not as much as you are, I think,” Rodriguez said, looking at Sankara appreciatively. “The beard suits you, Sebastian. Very pirate-y.”

Sankara tossed his head back and gave a deep, rumbling laugh. “You like it? Figured I’d try something new. Why not?”

I glanced at Florence and Visha. Were our teachers actually flirting with each other in front of us?

Rodriguez chuckled. “You’ll have the students thinking you’ve gone rogue.”

“Let them think what they want,” Sankara replied, giving Rodriguez a playful wink before turning to the three of us. “Good luck today, girls.”

As the two men walked away, continuing their banter, I noticed something.

“Florence!” I exclaimed. “Are you checking Rodriguez out?”

She flushed prettily. “No! Of course, I wasn’t... He’s a teacher!’

Visha raised an eyebrow, her violet eyes sparkling with amusement. “Oh, I saw that. You totally were.”

Florence groaned. “You’re both imagining things.”

Visha’s grin widened. “Hey, can’t say I blame you. Rodriguez is hot. And with Sankara? Even hotter.”

I stared at her for a moment before joining Florence in a fit of laughter.

Visha burst out laughing, too, and for a moment, the tension of the day melted away.

Today was going to change everything. But for now, maybe this was enough.

As our laughter faded, I noticed another familiar figure approaching.

Theo Drakharrow’s posture was tense, his hands shoved deep into his pockets. He approached slowly, almost shyly, his steps hesitant, as if not sure what kind of reception awaited him.

I felt a tug of sympathy at the sight of Blake’s cousin. He’d had a hard year and something about him seemed so forlorn.

“Theo,” I said, stepping forward. I wrapped my arms around him briefly before stepping back. “It’s good to see you.”

He looked startled, but his expression was grateful. “Hey,” he said softly, glancing back at Visha and Florence. I took a few steps away from them. “I just wanted to congratulate you. For getting through the Consort Games.” He smiled briefly. “Not to mention for getting Regan out of the triad. I know Blake’s thrilled.”

I still hadn’t fully processed that I was no longer connected to Regan in any way. It was just Blake and I now. We were still betrothed. What did this mean for us? What came next?

“Right,” I said slowly. “I still can’t believe it myself.”

Theo nodded, awkwardly shifting from one foot to another.

“It’s been a rough year,” I said, watching him. “I hope in the new one we can become better friends.”

Theo perked up. “I’d like that. You know you’ll wind up in House Drakharrow today, right?”

I nodded. “I figured.” What other possibility was there really? I just hoped Florence would be assigned to House Drakarrow with me. With her and Theo and Visha, the next year might not be quite so bad.

Theo took a step back, glancing at the growing crowd. “Anyway, I should go. Have a good Summerfell, Medra.”

The year had wrapped up so quickly I hadn’t even thought about the summer. Florence was planning on staying at Bloodwing with her mother. I figured I’d do the same.

I watched Theo walk away, wondering if I should have asked him to stay. He seemed so alone. I glanced around the courtyard and realized I hadn’t seen Blake anywhere.

Vaughn Sabino suddenly appeared at my elbow. His expression was cheerful, but I knew he must have seen me talking to Theo.

“Hey,” Vaughn said.

“I was just talking to Theo Drakharrow,” I said. No point in hiding it. Before I could stop myself, I decided to ask the question that had been on my mind for a while. “Do you think... after everything... that there might be a future for you and Theo?”

Vaughn’s face stilled, the easygoing smile falling away.

“I don’t think he had anything to do with what happened to you,” I said softly. “Do you?”

Vaughn shook his head. “No. He came to talk to me, you know. After it happened. He swore he’d had nothing to do with it. He looked absolutely miserable.”

“What did you say?”

Vaughn was silent for a moment. “I told him to fuck off. That was when I thought my arm might not heal. That I might be kicked out of Bloodwing.”

“Oh.” Vaughn’s reaction was understandable. Even more so when I thought of Naveen. That could easily have been Vaughn. Did he think about that sometimes? “Tough call.”

“Yeah.” Vaughn sighed. “He’s not a bad person. But... He’s not good for me. I just need to stay away from highbloods.” He grimaced. “I mean, as much as that's feasible considering where we are.”

He lowered his voice. “I'm hoping I get assigned to House Orphos. I’ve talked to Lysander and he seems like a decent sort. He runs his house in a completely different way than any of the others.”

“Really?” I asked curiously. “You’ll have to tell me more...”

I suddenly realized the buzz of chatter around us was quickly fading.