“We’re all performers,” Reina says way too lightly. “Let’s get you back to your room. We have to start harnessing all that power tomorrow.”

I nod. I can’t let that power out if it’s going to hurt people—even if that person’s Ethan.

CHAPTER 10

Stepping out the front door of the mansion, I expect the dense fog of yesterday to greet me, but blue sky is actually visible today even though wisps of clouds linger low and gather around the high hedges that surround the compound. A breeze brushes the tips of the sequoias outside the enclosed area, but inside, the clouds don’t move. It’s eerie. So is the massive courtyard in front of me—it looks like something out of Alice in Wonderland, and I’d be tempted to believe in magic if I didn’t already.

Low three-foot hedges that match the larger ones on the perimeter split the courtyard into squares. Gray or red paving stones make up the ground in each box, and pathways like the one I walked in on divide them further. It looks like a giant checkerboard with deep-green moss sprouting between the cracks. A tree rises from the center of each section.

“Welcome to your training grounds,” Xander says. “There’s a section for each apprentice to work in. You all train out in the open, so you’ll know what you’re up against.”

Xander leads the way down the path. The sun’s barely up, but a lot of apprentices practice already. We pass Barry circling playing cards in the air around him, but it’s still nothing compared to Xander’s butterfly. In another yard, the girl who pulled flowers from her sleeves last night frees peacock-blue lace from the cuff of her blazer, and it twists into the air above her like a whirlpool. When it reaches the end, she grips the material as it continues to rise, pulling her feet off the ground until she’s doing a graceful twirl in the air.

Shit.

This isn’t someone who got scouted on the street a few days ago.

Xander’s hand settles on my back and pushes me forward. “Don’t focus on what everyone else is doing. We have about three weeks to get you into shape.”

I don’t mention that that seems short—that I know how long Willow’s been training.

I shiver. A chill seeps from the stones beneath my feet. You’d think they could warm it up with a little bit of magic. Almost makes me wish Aristelle the human bonfire was here.

We enter the first open training square. A cherry tree grows in the center, branches heavy with red. Aristelle leans against the tree, her lips a perfect match for the cherries.

Well, be careful what you wish for, I guess.