Feeling sorry for him, Katy nodded. “Well, I’m guessing we’re going to have a few more nights away, so if you could chat to him a bit, keep him company, that would be great.”

  Trenton nodded. “I’ll see what I can do.”

  Smiling, Katy nodded. “Thanks.”

  “Yesterday,” Trevelyan began, standing at the front of the crowd, “I showed you much of the castle, but one thing I didn’t show you was any of the council chambers, of which we have several, from the large to the small. But, I wanted to make sure I shared at least one of them with you before you left, and thought this would be the best one for that. So, if you’d like to follow me.”

  Trevelyan opened the doors behind him and led the students into the biggest room Katy had ever seen. It was a massive, circular, domed space, made from stone. Windows surrounded them, high up on the walls, letting light stream into the otherwise dim space in shafts, picking out the dust that floated lazily in their radiance.

  Tapestries hung between the windows, and below them, tiered seating ran around the edges of the room. Between the seats and the raised dais in the centre of the room was a vast open space, covered in an intricate pattern of marble slabs.

  “Welcome to the main council chamber of the Magi Council of Earth. We use this room when we either have a large number of people attending or when we need to remind people of the power and grandeur of the Magi Council. Follow me.”

  Trevelyan led them across the chamber to a central raised platform which supported a large circular table with high-backed wooden chairs spaced evenly around it. Trevelyan walked up the steps to the top of the platform and turned to face them.

  “Over the centuries, this room has played host to some of the most powerful and well known Magi to have lived. Laws and edicts have been passed here, choices and decisions made that have affected the lives of millions, billions even. More recently, we’ve had to deal with several unprecedented events that directly and indirectly led to the formation of the Magi Academy, amongst other things. Can anyone tell me what those events were?”

  Several hands went up, and one was chosen to answer.

  “The Archons?”

  “That’s right,” Trevelyan said. “The release of the Archons. That event changed Magi society in so many ways, to the point where it’s almost unrecognisable from what it was. Before that event, no one was travelling to the Aetheric, and very few were travelling to the stars. Now, the Aetheric is open to any Magus who can cross over into it, and we are an integral part of the interstellar Magi organisation known as the Nexus. You, yourselves, now basically live in the Aetheric, which just a few years ago, was unheard of.”

  “Who can tell me the names of some of the Magi that were involved in those events?” Mr Spiros asked, ascending a couple of steps.

  Again, several hands shot up. Katy raised hers, remembering two names from her lessons.

  Mr Spiros pointed to her. “Katy?”

  “Um,” Katy replied, suddenly flustered that he’d chosen her. For a beat, the two names escaped her, and she found herself floundering, until after what felt like forever, she recalled one of them. “Yasmin,” she began, and then the other name returned too. “And Amanda-Jane Page?”

  Trevelyan and Mr Spiros both smiled.

  “Well done,” Trevelyan said. “I’m lucky enough to count Amanda amongst my circle of friends, and yes, she was, perhaps, the main catalyst for the events that have shaken the Magi world, even if it was actually Yasmin who released the Archons.”

  “And how did Yasmin release the Archons?” Mr Spiros asked the group.

  Katy frowned at Mr Spiros as more hands shot up and he picked one. It felt like a strange question to ask, but she wasn’t sure why.

  “She used Magical items,” the student replied.

  “Can you name any of them?”

  Katy kept her hand down, even though she could answer the question. The name of that book was seared into her memory following the events with the Red Witch, and would not be easily forgotten.

  But it turned out, others remembered the name of it too, and more besides.

  “The Libre Nox Noctis,” someone said.

  “The Green Orb,” another added.

  “The Lazarus Scroll,” a third finished.

  A piece of the jigsaw puzzle fell into place in her mind, but it was still incomplete. Something was missing, a ‘why’ to the ‘what’. Katy frowned as she tried to recall that nugget of information, but it wouldn’t come to her.

  “Who knows what the Lazarus Scroll does?” Mr Spiros asked.

  It was a weirdly specific line of questioning, as far as Katy was concerned. Why was he doing this?

  “As its name suggests,” a student answered, “it’s rumoured to be able to bring people back from the dead.”

  The final piece of this particular puzzle fell into place.

  That was it.

  That was why the Red Witch was hunting a scroll.

  It wasn’t just any scroll she was after, it was the Lazarus Scroll. It was so obvious, why didn’t she see it before?

  Katy turned and looked at Dana, who had a similarly shocked look on her face. “That’s it, isn’t it?” Katy whispered. “She wants that scroll.”

  Dana looked at her and nodded. “It has to be, it must be. It makes so much sense. She wants to come back from the dead, and the Lazarus Scroll will do that.”

  Looking up, Katy scanned the crowd and quickly picked out Yuki, who was looking back at her. Yuki mouthed the word scroll at her. Katy nodded.

  Finding Felix, he nodded and pointed to the teachers. Katy returned the gesture, they were all on the same page, this was it. This was what the Red Witch was after. It had to be. It made so much sense. Why hadn’t they realised it before? It was so obvious.

  Looking back at Mr Spiros, she could see him scanning the crowd, watching them intently as Trevelyan went on to describe the Lazarus Scroll and some of its powers.

  What was he up to? Katy could also see Magic flitting between him and Miss Hunt, giving away their private conversation as they watched the crowd intently. What were they looking for? Why did Mr Spiros ask those questions?

  “Did that strike you as strange?” Katy asked Dana quietly, leaning in so only she could hear.

  “What do you mean?”

  “Mr Spiros, going back into the whole Lazarus Scroll thing? It felt a bit forced to me.”

  “You think he did it on purpose?”

  “Yeah, maybe. He was watching the crowd pretty intently after he asked the question.”

  “Was he looking for a reaction, maybe?”

  Katy shrugged. “Could be. Not sure why though, or what for. He could be involved in all this somehow, though.”

  Dana nodded. “If I didn’t have to have my sessions with him to stay in the school, I would stop them in a heartbeat. I don’t trust him.”

  “Comes across as a bit slimy, doesn’t he?”

  “Just a bit.”

  “What are you two talking about?” Trenton whispered, leaning in.

  “Nothing,” Katy smiled at him. “Just talking.”

  “Mmm-hmm, right.”

  “And that brings us to some of the laws and prohibitions that the Magi Council enforces,” Trevelyan said, continuing his speech. “There’s not much Magic that the council bans, in fact, most of it is permitted, with a minimal number of exceptions, and probably the biggest of those is Necromancy. We do not allow Magi to use their Magic to bring people back from the dead once their soul has passed into Sheol—the realm of the dead. It interferes with the natural order of things and can cause all kinds of problems, not least of which to the poor soul you drag back into a body. Besides that, we usually investigate any killings by Magic and that sort of thing.”

  “Good to know,” Trenton muttered, before smiling at Katy innocently.

  She rolled her eyes with a chuckle.

  The Big Apple

  The talk in the council chamber had lasted for quite a while before the teachers split them into workgroups to practice their Magic.

  Before long, it was lunch, and then they were guided back through the castle to the main lobby where their luggage was waiting for them. It was time for the next leg of their trip.

  After grabbing her case, Katy stepped back and scanned the faces. Trenton was a short distance away talking with his friends, but Dana was chatting with Yuki and Felix, so Katy rushed over to join them.

  “What did you think of Mr Spiros talking about the Lazarus Scroll like that?” she asked. “Bit odd, wasn’t it?”

  “I thought he might have been dropping us a hint,” Yuki said. “Maybe he realised that the scroll drawings we’d been talking about were to do with the Lazarus Scroll, and he wanted to let us know without looking suspicious.”

  “He looked pretty suspicious to me,” Katy replied.

  “Really, I’m not sure.”

  Sighing, Katy considered this, but wasn’t convinced that Yuki was right. It didn’t seem to fit with him scrutinising the crowd after mentioning the scroll.

  “I don’t know. That’s not the feeling I got from him. I think he was looking for something. Like a reaction from someone maybe.”

  “Why?” Felix asked.

  “I don’t know, I can’t say, really.”

  “At least we know what the Red Witch is looking for though,” Dana said.

  “Are we sure it’s that?” Felix asked.

  “It fits, doesn’t it?” Katy answered him.

  “Yeah, it does. I just want to be sure, though.”

  “How can we be?” Katy replied. “This is guesswork at best, but it does seem like it all fits.”

  “Alright,” Yuki replied. “Let’s say that it is the Lazarus Scroll. How do we find it? Does anyone know where it is?”

  Feeling deflated, Katy sighed. “Not me.”

  “Nope,” Felix answered.

  “Me neither,” Dana replied.

  “So, who does?” Yuki asked.

  “Whoever used it last,” Felix suggested.

  “Like Yasmin?” Katy asked.

  “Alright everybody,” Mr Spencer called out to the assembled students. “I hope you’ve all enjoyed your visit to Ultima Thule. You’ve had a good time, right?”

  A somewhat lacklustre “yeah,” rang through the group.

  Dissatisfied with the reply, Mr Spencer pushed for a better one. “I said, you’ve had a good time, right?”

  “Yeah!” the students replied, louder and more enthusiastically.

  “Good. Alright, I’ll lead the way through the Portal, but before we go, let's all give a huge thank you to Trevelyan for hosting us. Ready? Thank you!”

  Everyone joined in thanking Trevelyan, and the man smiled warmly at them.

  “No, thank you. It’s been a pleasure having you here. I wish you all well on your journey to becoming Magi, and I hope to see you all again soon.”

  “Alright, follow me,” Mr Spencer said and led the way through the nearby door, which Katy could see was glowing with Magic in her Aetheric Sight.

  She patiently waited her turn, until eventually, she was next, and she stepped through the Portal, bracing herself for the intense feeling of dislocation that lasted for a fraction of a second.

  Suddenly she was stepping out of another Portal into fresh air.

  She found herself on a wide patch of grass, having stepped out of what looked like nothingness, just a ripple in the air behind her. As she watched, Dana stepped through, as if emerging from water.

  Mr Spencer stood nearby and ushered them off to one side. Katy did as she was asked as she looked around, taking in her surroundings.

  The grass was part of a wide courtyard, with pathways running through it. To her left was a Japanese ornamental garden, and surrounding them was a green-walled building with dark wooden beams as supports.

  Nearby, Katy spotted a familiar figure that she’d seen once before a few weeks ago. She stood close to Mr Spencer and watched serenely as Katy’s fellow students emerged.

  It was the redheaded Magus that had visited the Academy and talked to them about some of the more recent high profile events.

  Amanda.

  It only took a few moments for the rest of the class to appear through the Portal and assemble on the grass alongside Katy, who watched as Amanda smiled and swapped greetings with the members of staff.

  “Alright, we’re all here,” Miss Hunt said. “Welcome to New York. This building is known as The Jade Palace and is located in midtown Manhattan, and as you might have guessed, it’s owned and run by Amanda’s coven. I’m sure you all remember Amanda from her visit a few weeks ago.

  Amanda nodded and smiled, and Miss Hunt gestured that she should say something.

  “Thank you, Miss Hunt. Welcome students, and thank you for making me feel so welcome to your class the other week. It was a true pleasure to be invited to come and talk to you. So, I thought I should return the favour. As Miss Hunt said, this is The Jade Palace. Usually, it’s a bar, restaurant, and spa, but I’ve closed it for a few days so that you’ll have full, exclusive use of it. You’ll be staying here for the night, so I think we should maybe head up and I’ll show you where you’ll be sleeping before we head out and see some of the sights. Okay?” She looked at the teachers.

  They nodded and began to guide them across the courtyard. Walking into the building and up some stairs, they were shown to a pair of large rooms with attached facilities. They were once more divided along gender lines and allowed to find a bed in their communal dorm, except this one was a little cosier than the stone-walled castle from the night before.

  “Didn’t think we’d be seeing her again,” Yuki said as she claimed the bunk beside Katy’s. “She was practically mobbed by the class at the end of the lesson she attended.”

  “Maybe she’s a sucker for punishment,” Katy replied with a smile, remembering she’d left that lesson fairly quickly with Mikayla, and missed the chaos Yuki was talking about.

  “Maybe,” Yuki answered.

  “Any idea what we’re doing first? We still have half the day to go.”

  “Nope,” Yuki answered.

  “I heard something about a trip across the city,” Dana answered.

  “Oh, where to? Anywhere nice?”

  Dana shook her head. “No idea.”

  In the end, Katy didn’t have to wait long to find out as they were soon gathered back in the courtyard where Amanda and their teachers were waiting for them.

  “Alright, settle down,” Mr Spiros called out. “We thought New York would be a good place to visit for a couple of reasons. Firstly, and most obviously, because Miss Page had invited us here. But also because it was the site of a recent major event that tested the ability of the Arcanum to keep the Magi hidden from humanity. Does anyone know what I’m talking about?”

  A couple of hands went up.

  “The dragon attack, sir?”

  “That’s right,” Mr Spiros replied. “The attack by the Void Dragons in New York was a major challenge to cover up and hide, involving the work of almost the entire Arcanum, and plenty of other Magi as well. Luckily, the event was caught in time, and apart from a few individuals who slipped through the cracks, the event was hidden from the world at large. Memories were changed, footage was deleted, the governments and media were manipulated, it was a massive affair. But, to show you a little more of the scale of the operation, we thought you’d like to have a better vantage point. Amanda, would you like to do the honours?”

  “Of course. Get ready, please, as I’m about to Port you all in three, two, one.”

  Magic flared, and the group was suddenly one hundred and two floors up, inside One World Trade Center. As the fleeting feeling of disorientation faded and Katy took in the modern glass and steel design of the observatory. The entire floor seemed deserted.

  Gasps and oohs and aahs rippled through the group as they moved to the windows and looked out across the city. Katy was equally impressed and moved to find a spot to take in the panoramic view.

  It might not have been as impressive as seeing Saturn, but it was still cool.

  “Now, imagine looking out at that city and seeing hundreds of dragons diving from the sky, setting buildings ablaze,” Mr Spiros said. “That was what happened a few short years ago, and Amanda was right in the middle of it.”

  Katy turned as Mr Spiros spoke, and listened to him, as did many of the others.

  “How was that for you?” he asked Amanda.

  “Scary, for sure,” she answered. “I was at the top of a building out that way,” she pointed “and I remember seeing the huge dark shapes erupt from the clouds and dive down. Black, red, purple, green, and white dragons came swooping towards us. I thought that was the end of the Magi’s secretive existence on Earth. I thought we were revealed to humanity. But, apart from the occasional person who kind of remembers something, the event was basically wiped from the minds of the Riven here in New York. Those who do remember, are usually side-lined and labelled as crazy, but the Arcanum tries to get to them as quickly as they can and help them. No one should have their life ruined because of that attack.”

  The talk continued with Amanda recalling certain events and answering questions the students threw at her until the teachers eventually allowed them to wander this level of the building freely. Katy wandered around with Trenton, enjoying the view.

  “That was a pretty crazy story, huh?”

  Katy nodded. “For sure. I’m glad I wasn’t here for it.”

  “Me too,” Trenton replied as they stopped at a window and studied the view of the city below.

  “So, what’s going on?”

  “Hmm? What do you mean?”

  “I mean with you, Yuki, Felix, and Dana. Something is going on that you’re not telling me. I see you talking quietly, whispering to each other, all conspiratorial-like. I might sound stupid, but I do have a brain in here, you know. I can see you’re up to something. So, are you going to tell me what it is?”

  Sighing, Katy looked up at Trenton and considered her options. Her gut reaction was to deny it and insist he was seeing things, but she dismissed that. He’d seen them talking, he’d even caught her in a lie earlier. He knew something was going on, so denying it was silly.