The needle was a hair’s breadth from my skin when a sudden, deafening feedback loop shrieked from the Academy’s PA system. The distraction was only a second, but it was all I needed to pull my hand back into the sleeve of my oversized janitor’s tunic."Stable your hands, janitor!" Vane hissed, his silver needle trembling with his own frustration."The wind, Archon," I said, my voice as cold as the marble beneath us. "It’s hard to stay still when the Headmaster’s aura is trying to crush my lungs."Valerius sneered, waving a dismissive hand. "Get him out of my sight. If he’s a Thorne, he’ll be back. If he’s trash, he’ll rot. Archon, we have three thousand students to test. Move!"I didn't wait for a second invitation. I slipped into the shadows of the North Corridor, my heart hammering a rhythm that felt like a death march. I had minutes, maybe less. The Blood Census was a dragnet, and the next time Vane caught me, there would be no feedback loops to save me."You need to change the rec

The smell of roasting meat and expensive perfume was enough to make me gag. I moved through the Great Hall of Phoenix Academy, wearing the stiff, white-collared uniform of a servant. In my hands, a silver tray held crystal flutes of vintage nectar—each glass worth more than a janitor’s life.This was the Winter Ball, the pinnacle of high-society decadence. The men laughing in the center of the room weren't just nobles; they were the butchers of the Seven Stars Alliance."Hey, boy! Over here! Are you deaf as well as poor?"A heavy hand slammed onto my shoulder. I didn't flinch. I turned, keeping my eyes cast down, and saw Lord Kaelen—the man who had personally set fire to my family’s library. He was red-faced, sweating beneath his velvet doublet."My apologies, my Lord," I said, my voice a flat monotone."Less talking, more pouring," Kaelen grunted, snatching a glass from my tray. He looked at me for a second, his eyes narrowing. "You look familiar. Have I kicked you before?""Most lik

Rafe’s shout for the guards died in his throat as I took a single step forward. The air in the bridal chamber curdled, growing heavy and thick like cooling lead. He looked at me, then at the dagger in his hand, his lip curling into a sneer that didn't quite hide the tremor in his fingers."You really think you can just walk in here and take her?" Rafe chuckled, the sound brittle and sharp. "Look at you. Still in that tattered cloak. Still a ghost. Do you know what the Academy does to ghosts? They exorcise them.""You talk too much, Rafe," I said. "It’s a habit of the weak.""Weak?" Rafe’s face turned a blotchy crimson. He stepped toward Elena, grabbing her by the arm and yanking her toward him. "I am a Valerius! My father owns the sky you breathe! And you? You're a stain on the floor I haven't scrubbed yet.""Let her go," I said. The Void-Devouring Seal began to pulse, and the floorboards beneath my feet groaned as the gravity in the room shifted."Kneel," Rafe commanded, his voice ri

The wind howled through the Shattered Peaks like a dying god. Every gust felt like a serrated blade against my skin as the transport carriage skidded to a halt at the edge of the precipice. I stepped out, the "Void" in my chest vibrating in sympathy with the jagged, obsidian mountains ahead. "We’re here," Luna said, her voice barely audible over the gale. She pointed toward a needle of black stone piercing the clouds. "The Iron Bastion. My father’s playground." "It looks like a tomb," I muttered, looking at the monolithic walls. "For most, it is. But you aren't most people, are you, janitor?" Luna looked at me, her silver eyes sharp and questioning. "The perimeter is crawling with motion-sensors and mana-tripwires. Even a bird can't fly in without being incinerated. How do you plan on getting us through that gate?" "I’m not a bird," I said, my voice dropping an octave. "Then show me. Show me how a Thorne enters a house that was stolen from him. Or is your talk as hollow as your pu

The air inside the Iron Bastion’s inner sanctum tasted like ozone and ancient rot. Lord Malphas of the Seven Stars sat atop a throne of jagged obsidian, his armor shimmering with a grotesque, pearlescent light. It wasn't just metal; the plates were inlaid with ivory fragments that pulsed with a ghostly, rhythmic thrum."You’ve grown quite a bit since I watched your father’s head roll, Cassian," Malphas said, his voice echoing through the vaulted chamber. He stood, his armor clanking with the sound of a thousand dry whispers."I’ve spent ten years scrubbing your floors, Malphas," I said, my voice vibrating with the Void. "I’ve learned a lot about what hides in the cracks. Like the fact that you’re a thief who can’t even power his own gear."Malphas laughed, a sharp, grating sound. "Thief? This is the spoils of war, boy. These bones belonged to your ancestors. The Thorne Patriarchs. Their marrow is the most stable Ether conductor in existence. Why let them rot in the dirt when they can