Oshun turned her razor-sharp smile on him. “I’d think that you children would have figured it out already. The darkbringers you fought were a distraction while the Lord of Shadows made his move. You didn’t defeat them. They left once they’d completed their tasks.”

I looked around at the faces of my fellow godlings. We were 143. Our entire community couldn’t be more than 500 godlings if I counted both adults and children. Even if all the godlings gathered from across the human world, we’d still be outnumbered like a million to one. Maybe it wouldn’t matter in the end, but I still wanted to train. I had a feeling that I wasn’t the only one.

Once the godlings had settled in their designated areas, the gym transformed into multiple levels. We could see the sixth graders above us through a transparent floor and the fifth graders two levels up. The eighth graders were a floor beneath us. Each grade occupied a different space, so we could all practice at once. Neat trick.

“Pick a partner and defend yourself,” Oshun said, her voice easily projecting over the group. “I have erected safeguards in the gym to lessen the effects of magic that might be dangerous.”

“What’s the point then?” someone murmured behind me. “Ogun never did that.”

The orisha of beauty narrowed her eyes. “It should be obvious that I am not Ogun. My brother is the god of war and, as such, prefers brute force in an attack. Today I will teach you the art of subtlety.”

Frankie teamed up with Eli, and Zeran paired off with me. The last time we fought, Zeran and I were tied at one win each. It felt a little silly to still keep score, but it also was nice to think about something other than leaving our neighborhood or our impending doom. This would be the last time we’d practice at JMS, at least for a while, and I would miss the worn bleachers, the faded lines on the basketball court, and the trophies in the hallways.

“No weapons allowed,” Oshun said in her singsong voice. “Rule number one: rely on your natural abilities.”

“Sorry,” I said, consoling the shuddering ring on my finger.

Oshun cleared her throat. “Rule number two: expect the unexpected.” She waved her hand, and white ribbons wound through the gym and spun us around until we were facing new opponents.

I stood across from Winston, who grinned like a cat about to pounce on a mouse. Eli faced off against Candace, and Frankie had Tay as her new sparring partner. Zeran squared up against Maurice Miller, who looked sleepy even though he’d been sleeping in class earlier today.

“You’re not so tough without your little staff,” Winston said, blue flares dancing on his fingers. “I haven’t forgotten about how you and your friends made me look bad at the beginning of the school year.”