The Zenith Gambit
The morning air at Star Academy was usually filled with the scent of damp earth and the distant hum of divination aurating, but today, the atmosphere snapped with the dry, metallic tang of high-level Aether.
Hazel stopped dead in her tracks and looked up, as she, Evervine, and Marcel were about to use one of the blue teleport units to cross the huge central courtyard—on their way to the battle mage fields to plan Sentinel strategies. The sky above the white pentagon-shaped courtyard had become brittle, and the pale starry sky began to fall on them like snow in the winter.
"It's a Tan portal." Hazel's voice was calm, and Leo came to stand next to her as the entire school arrived for the show. "See the purple shading at the upper left quadrant? It is from somewhere on Vertin Alley. Aether colors the portal. When you want to sneak up on someone, you have to be mindful of such things." Leo nodded, not taking his eyes off the sky, like he was in the middle of a class.
Hazel frowned. "This is a forced breach. It is rippling because it is forcing its way through the school's defenses." Three sleek, silver-trimmed interdimensional carriages, embossed with the crystalline crest of the Zenith Institute, descended with the coordinated precision of a military strike. They didn't glide to a halt—they dropped anchor into the very fabric of Star Academy with a heavy, rhythmic thud that vibrated through Hazel's boots.
Black lines ripped into the layers around the carriages as they firmly anchored to the space.
"Unbelievable," Evervine hissed, her hand dropping instinctively to the hilt of her wand. "They didn't even signal the gate-wards. They came in like guests and mutilated our space like they own us."
"That's Vertin Alley for you," Marcel muttered, stepping closer to her. "No need to knock when you are the one funding all of Tan. They see all in existence as theirs."
The door of the lead carriage parted like a window opening into someone's soul. A wide cloud of chilled, incanted-scented mist streamed out and washed over everyone watching. Out stepped a group of students wearing robes of spun starlight and midnight blue—the signature of the Zenith elite. At their head was a boy who looked like he had been carved from the very gold that loomed deep in Adam Ambrose's eyes.
Cassius Ambrose didn't just walk; he claimed the space around him. His wand rose to the level of his temple and began going through incantations on its own. He took two steps forward, and he and his companions shimmered away like a mirage to appear several feet in front of the Star Academy students.
He scanned the crowd of gawking students before him with a look of bored disappointment until his gaze landed on Hazel. A slow, knowing smirk spread across his face. He ignored Professor Sing, who was currently marching toward the carriages with a face like thunder, and walked straight toward Hazel's group.
"Hazel McGonagall," Cassius said, his voice a smooth, resonant baritone that seemed to carry further than it should. He stopped just inches from her, smelling of expensive amber and cold mountain air. He didn't bow; he simply looked down at her as if they were the only two people in the courtyard who mattered. "I have come to discuss the rumors of that cursed item..."
"You mean the one your girlfriend summoned, Cassius?" Leo adjusted his glasses and stared directly at his cousin. With Hazel here, he had no fear.
Cassius's glance bounced between his cousin and Hazel twice before an annoyed look bloomed on his face. "Ah, Leo. Still trying to make up for your lack with dreams of travel and adventure?" He shook his head in condemnation. "I have no idea why father still sees potential in you."
He turned back to Hazel, his eyes locking onto hers with an intensity that felt like a physical weight. "I heard about the 'incident' with the Emotion Doll." His eyes flicking to Leo in warning. "Are you sure Star Academy is the best place for you, Hazel? They cannot protect you, and they cannot help you to fully reach your potential."
He pulled a shimmering silver scroll from his sleeve—the Relocation Petition.
"My father and the Council of Six believe the Tournament should be moved to a more... secure... environment," Cassius said, tapping the scroll against his palm. As he did, a silver light shot into the air and everything on the scroll was written on the air before all. "The Zenith Institute has offered to host. We have the Nephilim guards, the crystalline wards, and most importantly, we have a place for you." His eyes softened. "Why struggle in the dirt when you could be at the top of the Alley, right where your star belongs?"
He leaned in closer, his voice dropping to a low, intimate purr that made the hair on Hazel's neck stand up. "Think about it, Hazel. Support the petition. Come to Zenith as my personal guest, and I'll make sure the Council forgets all about you choosing sad House Sing. You don't belong in a school that's allowing you to be hunted. You belong with me."
Evervine stepped forward, her red robes flared like a warning flag. "She belongs right where she is, Ambrose. And if you don't get that scroll out of her face, I'll show you exactly how it feels to be both hunted and caught."
Cassius didn't even look at Evervine. He just kept his eyes on Hazel, waiting for a reaction, his smirk never fading. He wasn't just a divination rival; he was claiming his next prize.
Assistant Headmistress Sing waved her wand and the silver scroll was yanked from Cassius's hand. His smirk widened and his eyes never left Hazel.
"Mr. Ambrose, this is unacceptable."
Finally, Cassius looked away from Hazel to look at Assistant Headmistress Sing. "Madame Sing. Is it not our right to have fair consideration to be the location for the tournament? Sure, Star Academy has its place in Tan's honored history, but there are other schools here."
Professor Sing pursed her lips then looked to the students. "Back to classes, all of you. Back to your classes now." She looked to Cassius Ambrose. "And if the Zenith Institute wants to argue to be host of the tournament, have your headmaster contact Headmistress Pilar. Now move those carriages before I move them."
Cassius scoffed, as if to say he wished that she would try. When he looked around, Hazel was already on the teleport. Their eyes locked again just as the column of sheer blue light shot up around them. Their gazes held until she disappeared—he had thrown the gauntlet and she had accepted the challenge.