“You’re sixteen?” Linh asked.

Dex mumbled something about Fitz being super old as Biana turned to Tam. “I don’t think you guys ever told us how old you are.”

Both twins had to think for a second.

“Pretty sure we’re fifteen,” Linh said. “It’s hard to remember, thanks to my father. He was always trying to convince us that we had our inception date wrong.”

“Good old Dad,” Tam muttered, scanning the crowd, like he was checking to make sure his parents weren’t there. “Uh, do you guys know that girl off to the right? She’s staring at us pretty hard.”

All of their goblins reached for their swords.

“Relax—it’s just Marella,” Sophie told them, dropping her voice before she added, “She’s the one whose mom saw Cyrah the day she faded.”

“And she’s not staring at us,” Biana corrected. “She’s checking out Tam.”

Tam’s eyebrows shot up, and he stole another glance. Marella tossed her long blond hair—which always had a few tiny braids woven in—and gave him her flirtiest smile.

“Huh,” he said.

“That’s all you have to say?” Biana pressed.

“I don’t know.” Tam blushed brighter than Sophie would’ve thought possible, given his general surly demeanor. “What am I supposed to say?”

“She’s not his type,” Linh jumped in. “He likes brunettes.”

“Gross, why do you know that?” Tam asked.

Linh smirked. “Because you’re not as sly as you think.”

“Is anyone else wondering why Marella’s not hanging out with Stina anymore?” Sophie asked, rescuing Tam with a subject change.

“Stina’s the tall girl over there,” Biana explained to the twins, tilting her head to where Stina’s unruly curls stuck out above the crowd. “Her dad works with the Black Swan, so you’d think she’d be nice. But she still thinks she’s better than everybody. And ugh, looks like she’s in the Left Hemisphere. Guess that means Fitz and I get to watch her try to show off all day.”

“Who’s the other girl she’s with?” Linh asked. “She’s staring at Sophie too.”

“Really?” Sophie asked, waiting before she turned to see who Linh meant. It took her a second to recognize the pretty black girl beside Stina—especially with the blue streak she’d added to her straightened hair. “That’s Maruca.”

“There’s a Marella and a Maruca?” Tam asked. “Yeah . . . I’m never going to be able to keep that straight.”

“You probably won’t have to,” Biana said. “Marella’s been avoiding us for a while. And Maruca and I haven’t talked in months—ever since I told her I couldn’t trust her. She blabbed a bunch of my secrets to get back at me for becoming friends with Sophie.”

Tam whistled. “Girls and your drama.”

“Right—because you and Keefe get along so well.” Linh flicked his bangs. “And maybe I’m just imagining this but . . . doesn’t Maruca look sad?”

Sophie had to agree. Maruca’s turquoise eyes were glassy, and her full lips were pressed into a tight line.

And she was still staring at them.

“Think we should go over to her?” Sophie asked.

Biana shook her head. “If she needs to talk to us, she can come over here.”

Maruca didn’t.

But she didn’t stop staring, either.

The whole thing felt very unsettling, and Sophie was relieved when a deep voice boomed above the crowd, directing everyone’s attention to where Magnate Leto hovered above them. His levitation was wobblier than he probably wanted—and his feet nearly grazed the crowd’s heads—but he managed to hold himself steady despite the strong breeze that kept whipping his long black cape—marked with a purple handprint—around his legs.

“Welcome to your first round of skill training!” he said. “A momentous step in our world’s history! I’ll be practicing along with you, so I’m turning this session over to your talented Coaches. Everyone, please show them how much we appreciate their efforts.”

Scattered applause greeted three figures as they rose from the tents and floated to where Magnate Leto had just been hovering—one wearing a long red cape, another in a long blue cape, and the third in a long purple cape. The Coaches’ levitation was flawless—so smooth, they might as well have been standing on solid ground.

“Those in the Left Hemisphere will be training with me,” the red Coach said, her voice even raspier than Sophie remembered it. Her auburn hair was cropped into a sleek, angled bob, and she had thick black eyeliner rimming her pale blue eyes, giving her words an air of drama as she told them, “All of you are welcome to call me Coach Wilda.”

“I’m Coach Bora,” the blue Coach added, his high, nasal voice a strange contrast to his slicked blond hair, olive tone, and sharply angled features. “I’ll be working with the Right Hemispheres over there.” He pointed to the blue canopy.

“Which of course means that all of you Ambis are with me,” the purple Coach said with a smile. Her long black hair was so shiny it seemed to glow against her cinnamon-toned skin. “I’m Coach Rohana. And yes, for those wondering, it is essential that you train with your designated Hemisphere, regardless of where your friends or family might have been sorted. All three groups will be practicing the same skills, but you’ve been separated by your learning style so that we’ll be able to tailor your lessons for maximum efficiency.”

“It’s important that you not let yourselves get frustrated if you don’t immediately succeed at what we’re teaching,” Coach Wilda added. “The Council has asked us to focus on a particular skill—one that, for most of you, will be an entirely new way of using your mind.”

“The lessons will be grueling,” Coach Rohana promised. “At times they may even be confounding. But this process is about stepping-stones and building blocks that piece together with time and patience to achieve a new kind of strength.”

Each Coach removed a tennis-ball-size glass orb from their cloak pockets and held the clear spheres in front of them.

When they narrowed their eyes, all three orbs exploded into a million glinting fragments.