You know it is, the little voice pipes up, the truth scouring my thoughts.

“That’s rubbish and they’ll know it,” MacCrone wheezes out between gasps. “They’ll not believe the likes of you.”

“But they’ll believe you? A washed-up battle mage turned to chaos just like Tumultua.”

“She’s your friend, not mine.” MacCrone scrawls a sigil in the air and sends it hurtling toward Emmi as if it were a dagger Emmi dodges but the sigil catches her on the shoulder, opening up a tear in her sleeve.

“See?” Emmi says. “She attacked me. She came after me in my classroom wanting to drain me of magic.”

“That’s not true,” Aysha whispers, looking at me and Katya. “We went to Emmi’s room. There was no sign of a struggle. She’s lying.”

My mind whirls, thoughts ricocheting back and forth between possibilities.

“Please, Toivo, Aoife,” Emmi says. “I need your help. I can’t do this alone.” She raises her hand, ready to carve a sigil.

That’s when I see it. On her forearm, nestling in the crook of her right elbow—a chaos star with fiery wings, the emblem of the Order of Louhi.

I point at Emmi’s arm. “She’s the chaos mage.”

Emmi glances at the ink on her arm, her expression almost sad as her finger grazes the mark. She doesn’t even try to deny it. Instead, the sadness melts away, replaced by grim determination as she lifts her chin and squares her shoulders.

“You’re too late to stop me. Balance will be restored,” she says.

MacCrone snarls and brings her forearms together, the tattoos on her skin glowing blinding white before sending a burst of energy that sends Emmi skidding backward through the snow toward the trees. She lands heavily on her knees, gasping for breath.

MacCrone advances and for a moment, it seems the fight is about to be over.

But Emmi reaches into the snow, scrabbling at what I thought was a boulder at the base of the spruce behind her. She staggers to her feet, hauling up a small, limp body with one hand. In the other, she holds a dagger.

“Hannah!” Morgan takes a hesitant step toward them, his fists clenched.

Hannah opens her eyes, clearly dazed as she glances about. Her gaze finds Morgan and she starts to cry.

“I’m going to kill you!” Morgan rushes forward, with Katya and Aoife right behind him.

The bear roars and joins the charge. I catch the look of fear flitting over Emmi’s face as she takes in the bear surging toward her.

Meanwhile, I’m paralyzed, my thoughts seized in the grip of panic and disbelief. The only teacher I ever liked, who ever liked me, is a chaos mage and the one who kidnapped Natalie!

“No, not like this,” Toivo says, but no one’s listening.