He raises an eyebrow and tilts his head like the answer is obvious. “Because you’re at this school, for one; athletic abilities are a given. And because I heard about the way you outsmarted Nyx.”

Layla really does tell him everything. “All right,” I say. “Since you already know so much about me, why don’t you tell me a few things?”

He leans against the branch lazily and turns toward me. “What do you want to know?”

I catch myself smiling and consider how to approach all the questions I have without revealing how much I don’t know. It doesn’t take a genius to figure out that being clueless at the Academy is the same as being vulnerable. “Tell me about the Families here.”

He looks amused and I’m relieved that at least my question makes sense to him. “Now, that’s a broad topic.”

“Then tell me how the Families formed twenty-five hundred years ago,” I say, recalling the bits of information I got from my interview with Conner.

He laughs. “You sneak all the way out here at night, risking marks, to ask me to tell you the origin story? Don’t you think you should use your time more wisely?”

I shrug, like it’s all no big deal. “Look, I know…I have lots of other questions. Lots. But when I was in Conner’s office, he made me feel like I didn’t know the history nearly as well as most of the kids here. And I want to be able to keep up in my classes. So just humor me,” I say, putting on the persuasive voice I use to try to talk Emily into doing things she doesn’t want to.

Ash looks at me for a second and his eyes seem to be asking a question. “I guess a deal’s a deal,” he says. Then he sighs and leans back, putting his hands behind his head. “The original three Families formed in an age where power and conquest were paramount. The Families started simply as key advisors and friends who had the ear of the Persian king”—he touches his own chest—“the Roman emperor”—he gestures at me—“or the Greek king. And these advisors influenced the rulers’ decisions. But word of these invaluable advisors eventually spread, and the leaders of the other civilizations targeted them in attacks. What better way to weaken the emperor than to eliminate his wisest counsel?” Ash smiles to himself, as if ancient assassinations were a good thing. “And so the rulers in the Greek, Roman, and Achaemenid Persian empires started hiding these men and women. And before long, the secrecy these advisors utilized became their greatest strength.” Ash pauses and looks at me.

“Go on,” I say, not sure what to make of the fact that if what Ash is saying is true, then the students here must be able to trace their lineages back to the time of ancient Greece.

“Over the next few hundred years, these secret advisors became more abundant and honed new skill sets. They not only counseled, but they also collected information, poisoned adversaries of the rulers, and helped to infiltrate other empires. As a show of gratitude, they were given properties, wealth, their own crests—with animals as the central figures, of course. The only things the advisors didn’t possess were proper titles, but behind closed doors they were commonly referred to as the rulers’ Family.”