Abelard nodded. “I believe travel in Aediion is rare, but possible. It could be a very useful tool, if we could master it.” The dean fingered a strand of her silver hair. “We do this exercise every fall with the first years. When the students report tomorrow, most will have tried and failed. Some will make up stories, suggesting success. Others—nonbelievers—won’t have even tried.

“But every so often we encounter students like you and…Hayden, who succeed. Most are smart enough to follow directions. Your friend closed the portal on his own and returned. You stayed in Aediion too long. That’s a dangerous business, Alister.”

“What makes you think I succeeded?” Han asked, feeling pinned under the gaze of the dean and the master.

“You were using prodigious amounts of power,” Abelard said. Her sharp, pointed face wore a hungry look that Han mistrusted. “Your amulet is depleted.”

“Maybe it was because I didn’t know what I was doing,” Han said. When in doubt, experience had taught him to deny, and keep denying. “I didn’t do the reading. When my charm didn’t work, I just kept having at it. I guess I lost track of time.”

“You claim you didn’t go anywhere?” Abelard said.

“Not that I remember,” Han said.

Abelard scowled at him, rolling her eyes.

Han was usually a rum liar, but he couldn’t seem to amuse these two.

“Whatever happened,” Gryphon said fiercely, “you need to follow my directions, or you’re out of here.”

“Master Gryphon is right,” Abelard said. “If you persist in taking chances, endangering yourself and others, I will have you expelled and your amulet confiscated. Do you understand me?”

Han closed his hand around his amulet. You can try, he thought, gazing at her straight on.

To his surprise, Abelard smiled. “I don’t know that name. Alister,” she said, giving him another good look-over. “And your speech is…unusual. Where do you live? What is your house? Perhaps I know your family.”

“I’m from Ragmarket,” Han said. Once he got started, the words just tumbled out. “Used to live on Cobble Street, over the stable, before it burnt down. I’m sort of between houses now, since my family’s dead. My mam was Sali Alister, my sister’s name was Mari. Mam was mostly in laundry, but her sideline was ragpicking. Heard of them?”

Wordlessly, Abelard shook her head.

“You will,” Han said, looking the dean in the eyes.

Abelard cleared her throat. “It’s possible that your amulet was responsible for your success,” she said. She reached out and fingered the serpent flash cautiously, as if it might bite. It must have been totally drained of power, since it didn’t react to her touch at all. Han shivered, resisting the temptation to snatch it out of her hand. It was as though she’d reached into his chest and took hold of his heart.