"We change the rules."
Diane's words hung in the air, made thick with students' expectations. They leaned over their desks, their quill tips pressed on parchment until a black circle stained the milky surface.
In the silence before she continued, a thoughtful frown creased Adam's brow. Change the rules to counter long-range curses... how?
He knew the answer would come in a couple of seconds, and his mind raced faster.
The requirements—not the chant.
"The medium?"
His mutter was barely above a sigh, yet Diane snapped her eyes in his direction. The corners of her lips curved as she planted the back of her hand on her hip and gestured at him.
"Do you know why I didn't ask the class how they would do it?" It wasn't a question. "Because I've given up. No student ever found the correct answer. But you're on the right track. Continue. Two hundred points if you're correct."
