My pulse begins to race. Then there was my poisons class. Hisakawa said that poisoning is truly great when there’s no evidence left behind. And that if you can manage them, the best poisons of all are emotional and psychological. Was she talking about me and Matteo? Someone had clearly been trying to pit us against each other from the beginning. And if I hadn’t forced myself to talk to Matteo, I still wouldn’t know who my parents are, which is obviously key to understanding how this whole mess started.

I hit my fist on the table. Why hadn’t I been paying closer attention? Ash had made it clear to me that the Academy wasn’t about academics, it was about learning to read the signs. But I was so caught up in my own fears and frustrations I couldn’t see what was right in front of my face.

I put my head in my hands. Moment after moment comes flooding back to me. Kartal talking about the sultan who sent the letter to those knights, and how he gave them the opportunity to act differently, to change what everyone assumed couldn’t be changed.

I chew on my thumbnail angrily. What or who is the inflexible thing in this situation that needs to be approached differently? There’s the hatred between the Lions and the Bears, but that’s not something I can fix in this school. It has to be something more specific.

My door opens and I look up at Ash.

“Oh, good. You’re here,” Ash says, and I can see the concern leave his eyes.

“I spoke to Pippa,” he says, and takes the seat across from me. “At first she said she didn’t see anyone and took the glass immediately down to the kitchen to be disposed of. But when I pressed, she acknowledged that she actually stopped a couple of times to check on other rooms. I made her walk me through her route, and I’ve got to say that there was ample opportunity for someone to steal a piece, even though she claims she kept a close watch on it.”

“My money is on Felix,” I grumble.

Ash pulls back and looks at me. “What do you know that I don’t?”

“This has all been about killing me, right?” I say. “Charles killed Stefano to pin it on me, and if it had worked, I would have been the one executed. Then Nyx tried to skewer me with a sword. Then someone came to slit my throat with a piece of glass but wound up having to confront the guard instead. Like Layla said, Brendan rarely does things himself. And of all the possible suspects, Felix definitely has a reason to want revenge. My parents killed his father.”

Ash’s eyes widen. “How do you know that?”

“Matteo told me.”

“Matteo told you,” Ash says like he doesn’t quite believe it. “Matteo went from punching you to suddenly telling you secrets?”

“Not that this makes it any better, but he was told to punch me,” I say.