Ingrid turns away from me and leans forward. She’s not alone. Every apprentice is perched on the edge of their bench, waiting to hear the details.

Norah smiles as if pleased by the effect her words have produced. “Until now, you have primarily worked and trained within these walls. But this term, you’ll need to push yourselves further than you ever have before.”

She paces along the length of the stage, her palms pressed together in front of her. It’s so quiet, I can hear each swing of the pendulum housed in the clock mounted on the back wall—a massive contraption made from the bones of a red-necked ostrich.

“When you leave Ivory Hall, you will be assigned to various villages across Kastelia. Many of you will serve on town councils. You will be required to work with other bone magic specialties to solve complex problems. In the past, we found our apprentices were well trained in their own magic but ill prepared for leadership and problem solving. So, several years ago, we devised a solution.” She stops pacing and turns to face us. “Those of you with siblings who attended Ivory Hall have no doubt heard all about it. But for the rest of you, I’m excited to introduce you to the bone games.”

Another chorus of whispers ripples over the assembled apprentices. My gaze wanders around the room, over the benches painted in various colors to match our cloaks until I land on a sea of black. Bram sits with his back to me, talking to the other Breakers. He leans forward, seemingly absorbed in the conversation. I watch him for several moments, still confused by the pull I feel toward him. He turns and meets my gaze and my heart lurches. I can’t let myself be taken in by emotions from my other path. I harden my expression and let my eyes slide right past Bram, as if I never saw him at all. From the corner of my gaze, I see his brows knit in confusion. A pang of longing hits me square in the chest, but I don’t look back.

“These challenges,” Norah says with a tone that silences all the chatter, “will require you to work in small groups of five or six—roughly the size of a town council—and will take you all over Kastelia. The games will be graded on a pass-or-fail basis, with the same score given to the entire group, so choose your teammates wisely. You’ll want a good blend of specialties and a variety of talents. If you fail the games, you fail your apprenticeship. Now go. Make good decisions.”