Corpus, one of Malakai’s elites, looms over the downed girl.

The girl is frozen stiff, surrounded by a shimmering blue kind of shield.

The stasis worked, then. Thank the gods.

But Corpus kneels down and presses his hand against the shield. Blue energy flares at first, repelling him. He tries again, more slowly this time. His hand slips inside the barrier, letting him rifle through the clothing of the frozen girl. He jerks his hand back, clutching the stasis token.

Her shield snaps out of view and she gasps, eyes fuzzy with confusion, as if she just woke from deep sleep. Before she can get her bearings, Corpus grips her hair, jerks her head back, and drags a blade across her throat.

The world lurches beneath my feet as I watch red blood flow in the moonlight, spilling down her uniform and disappearing into the swirling white mist. Corpus clutches the hem of her shirt, wipes his dagger, and stalks off into the darkness.

Gods. It’s as if he knew exactly how to bypass the stasis. How to make sure they could still murder fellow students, even with the protections Voss put in place. I think I might be sick again as the implications settle, but I don’t have time.

Someone else is coming toward me. Fast and loud.

Footsteps crash through the underbrush and someone gasps for breath between pained whimpers. A girl with an air affinity mark on her left hand bursts into view, terror etched across her face. Her elemental, a small water fox, streaks alongside her.

Behind her comes another student I recognize as one of Malakai's elite. It's Titus, the huge water affinity who tried to kill me in weapons training. His water turtle elemental glides silently through the air beside him. The girl doesn't see him raise his hand, doesn't see the blade of compressed water forming between his fingers.

I don't think. I just move.

I use a thread of earth essence to fling dirt into the air and a burst of wind essence to blast it into his face. Titus flinches back, nearly stabbing himself with his own water blade as he reaches to wipe his eyes.

He never sees me coming.

I’m on him in a heartbeat, rapier flashing and catching him below the arm. The empire steel bites deep, punching into his flesh and drawing blood.

Titus howls in pain, losing his water blade as his concentration is broken. He spins to face me, teeth bared in rage. His elemental abandons the pursuit of the girl, turning black eyes toward me instead and opening a beak that looks sharp enough to sever limbs. But Typhon darts in, distracting the turtle with powerful jets of magical water sprayed from his mouth.

"Thorn," Titus snarls, recognition dawning on his face. "Malakai will reward me well for your head."