Claire’s eyes flew open. She was now hurtling through the rock forest, the red branches grazing her as she dove past. And it should have hurt, but instead of feeling pain, she felt only the overwhelming sense of … of welcome.

There was no other word for it. It wasn’t as clear as a “hello” or even a handshake, but it was definitely a greeting. Each time a little branch touched her arm or leg, she sensed a salutation. Like if the rock had a tail, it would be wagging it. As if the rock were alive.

And it was.

Because the stone forest wasn’t stone at all. It was coral.

Coral, Claire knew from her fifth-grade unit on the ocean, looked like rock but was actually an animal. An animal that was intimately acquainted with stone, just as Claire was herself. It seemed to know this and had recognized Claire as a friend.

And as she felt the coral’s hello, she became aware of a welcoming song in the water all around her, the tiny notes cradling her and carving away the panic for one single instant. And into that space, a memory came to her in startling, water-clear detail:

Late-afternoon sunlight streamed into Starscrape Citadel’s classroom as the apprentices settled around their millstone desks, craning their necks and whispering excitedly to one another. Bowls of brightly colored powders lined the front table, looking like ground sidewalk chalk. Some were a rich mustard, others a rusty red, while one pewter pot held a blue so dark that it could have been a piece of crushed midnight.

The classroom door opened, but instead of Scholar Pumus, Grandmaster Carnelian strode in, his ram’s head cane beating a staccato clip as he wound his way among them.

“Wake up, apprentices,” he grumbled as he moved to the front of the workroom.

The students sat up straighter. “Good afternoon, Grandmaster,” they chorused.

“Scholar Pumus is needed today to work on the Grand Hall’s gargoyles. The last storm did significant damage to the pipes. He’s asked that I show you a bit of my specialty: glass.”

Claire cocked her head, frowning.

“Claire, do you have a question?”

Claire’s ears burned red. The grandmaster never seemed to miss a beat. “Uh, I was just wondering … what does glass have to do with rocks?”

The titters that flitted through the classroom were all Claire needed to know that she’d asked a silly question.

Carnelian stood at the front, glaring at his charges until they quieted. “Apprentice Claire has asked an excellent question,” he said. “One that we should all review. Who would like to help answer her?”

Zuli’s hand slowly rose into the air, and when Carnelian nodded at her, she spoke. “Glass is melted sand,” she explained. “And sand is comprised of rocks that have been beaten by the elements, like wind or water, until they turned into small grains.”