We entered the auditorium as a group, our footfalls echoing as we walked. In the middle of the room, a single flame was burning at the center of a large sunken circle. Stadium seating rose up around it. The seats were divided into six distinct sections, creating the appearance of a sliced up pie. Each section was labeled with two Greek letters. Monique led our group over to the Iota-Kappa section, and we sat and waited for the remaining students to arrive.

"This auditorium is where we hold quorums-and Bio 101," Sadie explained.

I frowned. Bio 101? I hoped I could test out of that.

"Wait, you do know what quorum means, right?"

Great, she thought I was r.e.t.a.r.ded. "Yea, it's the minimum number of voting members required present before a meeting is considered valid."

"Rights. Good," Sadie said, looking a bit relieved. "In matters of great importance, all students on campus are summoned to a quorum. We don't actually have to like vote or anything, it's just required that all be present to see and hear. More eyes make attempts at deception or distortion much more difficult."

"Distortion?" I asked. "You mean like Jedi mind tricks?"

Sadie nodded gravely. "Distortions work best on groups of ten or less. The mana required to subvert a group grows exponentially after ten. It's why we Catholics lock all our cardinals up in a conclave to elect a new pope. All sorts of mischief can happen if you don't. And besides the sheer numbers attending, Elliot's quorums are always held in this building. Its design makes distortions nearly impossiblo."

I looked around. "Does it have to do with the symmetry?"

"Right on, newbie. Have you noticed what this place resembles?"

I shook my head.

"Don't just give up," Sadie said with a sigh, "use your noggin' for something other than shaking."

"Fine." I wasn't one to back away from a challenge. I examined the auditorium again. A circular room with perfect symmetry and a central point marked by a flame. I examined the walls. Gold points that matched the flame's housing appeared around the circle six times. Six points plus a central..."Oh! We're inside a circle. The circle is inscribed at six points. If the lines cross at the central flame, you can draw a unicursal hexagram."

Sadie smiled. "Yeppers. Good work, grub. I'm gonna buy you a cookie at lunch. It's gonna have chocolate."

"Mazal tov."

Sadie rolled her eyes. "You goober. We're a cabal-just not that cabal."

I shrugged. "So what's the room designed to do?"

"Almost anything. Unicursal forms are super-dooper flexible. Today, this circle is gonna work as...let's see...hey, you ever watch Get Smart?"

I cringed. Were all nerds required to watch the same TV shows?

"The cone of silence?" I asked.

"Right on, man-o! I love that s.h.i.t. Max is like, 'Chief I can't hear you.' And Chief is like, 'What did you say, Max? ...99, tell Max I can't hear him.'" Sadie started giggling to herself, completed the rest of the bit in her head, and then looked at me seriously. "Don't worry though, we'll be able to hear each other, this one actually works."

"Good to know."

Sadie nodded and nibbled at a fingernail. She had chewed each and every one of them down to little nubs, leaving the tips raw and irritated. (That's what happens when you don't force-feed yourself Ulysses on long bus rides.) To avoid gagging, I turned my attention back to the design of the room. Each of the six seating sections had exactly twenty-eight seats. That gave a grand total of one-hundred-and-sixty-eight. Each section's first row had four seats. Those looked like they were reserved for faculty. After the first row, each successive row expanded in number by two, with the last row containing ten seats. We were only using half the room. Above the first tier of seating, there was a second one that offered a lot more s.p.a.ce. The entire building probably sat well over six hundred, but the stairways to the second tier of seating were all roped off.

"So what happens next?" I asked Sadie.

I'd caught Sadie mid-nibble. She looked up and around. "Once all the students arrive, the faculty will enter and close the circle...but hopefully that won't happen anytime soon."

"Why?" I asked.

"We're still missing over twenty students."

"Oh," I said quietly.

Three loud clacks echoed across the hall.

The students quieted.

A line of men and women in more traditional robes appeared at the entrance. Dean Albright was among them. I counted twenty-four in all. The faculty, I presumed. They descended the stairs quietly and sat in the first row of seating.

"s.h.i.tzos," Sadie muttered. She returned to her nails to brood.

When the older folk had settled, a woman in a brilliant silver robe-and matching silver hair-made her way down the steps next to me. She must have been blond once. Her face had the weathered look of years spent outdoors, but her body was full of vigor.

Bare feet pattering against the cold marble, she swept past me.

The air around me tingled. It almost made me sneeze.

The woman plopped down on the last step and gestured for Albright to proceed.

Albright nodded, stood, and walked briskly to the flame. He drew back his robe's arm and calmly extended his hand right into the fire. To my horror, the flames lapped about his skin, melting his flesh with their touch. My mind flashed backwards. The tall man was standing over me laughing. I extended my arms to protect myself. My palms melted from the searing heat.

Waves of phantom pain surging over me, I yelped in shock and went to collapse in the aisle.

Fortunately for me, Sadie was faster. She grabbed my shoulder and steadied me. My heart was pounding. My palms throbbed. I waited for Albright's screams. I could sense the excruciating pain enveloping him...but I didn't hear any screaming. The only thing rising into the air was murmurs.

Embarra.s.sment replaced panic. Taking three deep breaths, I forced my eyes open.

The students in the row ahead of me were all staring backwards...but not at me. No, their fear-filled eyes were focused on the aisle next to me. I turned my head slowly, not sure if I wanted to know what kind of punishment my outburst had earned.

Rei was squatting on the step, her head mere inches away from me. I felt her cool breath brushed against my cheek. Behind the mask of lace, her face was tight with concern.

Sadie squeaked and hid behind me. Nervous talk erupted from all around. The guy across the aisle scrambled over his companions to get away.

Ignoring the burbling chaos, Rei grabbed my hands with her gloves. I marveled at the lacework. Even a mouth-breather like myself could admire the fine workmanship that had gone into them. Turning my hands over, Rei's face transitioned from concern to confusion to mild annoyance. She huffed and rolled her eyes.

"Uh, false alarm?" I managed.

Rei stood and swept back up to her seat next to f.u.kimura. I could have sworn I caught the b.a.s.t.a.r.d giggling, but I was distracted by the overwhelming sensations pouring into my Sight. Hundreds of individual emotions were pelting me like tin cans: Bewilderment. Shock. Interest. Disgust. The mix of sensations gave me the chills. It felt like a rush of cold water rushing down my back. What was I? A psychic umbrella? I wanted to squirm into the hood of my robe, hide under a rock, vanish-anything to get away from all the attention-but the room had erupted into hurried conversations.

"...yea, the one she saved ...a snack for later ...totally screwed ...gross ...she creeps me out ...the new kid ...but that dress is awesome ...from Vegas, I think ..."

I felt my ears go red.

"What the h.e.l.l was that about?" Sadie whispered. Her grip on my arm had gone white-knuckled. She was trembling.

"Nothing," I said. "I freaked. Flame paranoia and whatnot. Sorry."

"Not that, you idiot. What was she doing? Why was she playing with your hands?"

"No idea," I replied. But I had a very good idea. It was the weft-link, wasn't it? My eyes caught those of the lady in silver. She was still sitting on the bottom step, her back arched in a lazy C. An expression of amus.e.m.e.nt danced across her face. She gave me a friendly nod, then turned back to Albright. My Sight was still going haywire from the psychic onslaught, so when I looked at the flame, I saw it for what it was. The flame wasn't a fire at all. It was made of the same stuff that f.u.kimura had drawn out of the ground before turning that beautifully manicured lawn into a magnet for flies. The substance wasn't burning Albright's hand. It was swirling around it.

"Continue, Christopher," the lady in silver said. Her voice was like a breeze through the leaves.

With a flick of his wrist, Dean Albright directed the surge of energy straight into the top of the dome. My ears popped as the pressure changed. The air felt charged like in a thunderstorm. When Albright walked back to his place seat, his steps were devoid of echo.

"The Cone of Silenceee," Sadie announced.

The lady in silver stood and paced once around the flame.

She examined the marble floor, her bare toes taping out a beat on the ground.

"Greetings, students of Elliot College," she said in a clear, crisp voice. "For those of you who don't know me, my name is Ellena Eikhorn. I am the chancellor of Elliot College. For those of you who don't know, that's academic-speak for boss lady.

"I would like to say it is wonderful to see you all, I would like to greet the new students and welcome back the old ones, I would like to say a few bad jokes about the food at the cafeteria, I would like to urge you to study hard, conduit safely, and make sure to join a club or two, I would like to say these things, but sadly, darkness has commandeered this glorious commencement day."

The chancellor paced the circle a second time. The room stayed completely silent as she did-and I could tell why. Behind Eikhorn's easy mannerisms, I sensed an incredible compression of power. It was on the same order of magnitude as that ragged cloak of energy enveloping Rei, but of an entirely different nature. It was as though all the life around Chancellor Eikhorn was constantly pressing inward. As she paced around the strange golden flame, it flickered toward her, drawn like iron to a magnet. Eikhorn was a coiled ma.s.s of magical power. I didn't need any education to know it, just like you don't need a geologist to tell you when there's been an earthquake.

"Today we received word that members of our community have fallen. As you all know, yesterday was admissions day for this semester's initiates. Eighteen young men and women were granted the opportunity to join our community, learn the craft from the very best, become instruments of good, and make their families proud. During their travels, sixteen were attacked by an unknown group."

The plump redhead across the aisle gasped.

"Six initiates are missing. Nine are confirmed dead. In addition-"

Voices rose in outrage. Over 80% of the entering cla.s.s had been wiped out.

I leaned back in my chair. For not the first time, I wondered what the h.e.l.l I'd gotten myself into.

A clap of thunder exploded as Eikhorn slammed her bare foot down on the ground. "Silence!" Eikhorn shouted above the ringing in my ears. "You will maintain the order and dignity expected of Elliot students."

We all sat rock still.

"Six of these initiates were attacked before their escorts arrived. The location of these initiates is unknown. Nine escorts had already intercepted their initiates prior to being attacked. Emissary Rei Bathory and her charge survived," Eikhorn glanced at me, and I found the floor. "Captain Susan Collins of Iota, although gravely injured, is expected to live as well. All the rest have fallen. We shall not soon forget the sacrifices of those we lost, and we are grateful for those who survived."

I felt the stares of my future cla.s.smates and shuffled uncomfortably in my seat.

"I have a request for those of you who know Susan," Chancellor Eikhorn said. "Please visit her in the infirmary when you get the chance. Grafting on a new limb can be incredibly painful; she needs all the support we can give her."

"You can do that?" I questioned Sadie.

"Sure," she whispered, "but it's never quite the same. They always seem to remember their last owner. I think it's some sort of muscle memory thing. Susan better pray the donor didn't like to pick her nose."

I was still working that one through my head when Eikhorn resumed her speech.

"The history of our people is replete with persecution and death. The Conscious have powers that are both feared and coveted, our methods are often misunderstood, and even within our community, some are feared for their very nature. This was not always so. Long ago, the Conscious served as a crucial pillar of society, the only defense against those horrid beasts from beyond the frame. The stakes in those dark times were high: Freedom or servitude. Life or death. The precipice of oblivion bred clarity in men. For the first time in history, the many strands of our kind found common purpose. The Great Religions and Old Orders united. Armies rallied to their calls. Knights and mages entered the fray as one. They smote those who would shatter our autonomy, crushed their bones under heavy boots, and cast their smoldering remains back through the closing frame.

"But I ask you, young magi, at what cost was this victory won? Did we not abandon our dignity? Did not some of us sell our very souls? To understand where we stand today, to understand why we have so fallen, we must reflect back on our distant past, and bear witness to our parents' follies. Their slide into darkness began with the first clumsy attempts to mimic our foes. Hexes. Curses. Ma.s.s effect spells. They stumbled along, learning what they could, and stealing what they could not. Miscasts were common. Some of the Magi were incinerated. Others vanished from the frame forever. Desperation drove them. Their friends and families were perishing. Their churches and temples were burning. And with anguish and grief consuming them, the Magi delved ever deeper into the craft. Rules were broken. Tenets trampled. They constructed something truly horrible-and they did not flinch from using it.

"The Catastrophe of the Ten, we call it now. We know not the full extent of the damage, for we know not of a single voice that survived them. But the unforgivable collateral damage gave not a single mage pause. Oh no, young ones, the Catastrophe only encouraged them. What if they could refine the horrors? What if they could harness them to their wills? And so, ever darker arts were fashioned by the hands of men. Necromancy was perfected. Then chimerism. Then dread foremutation. True, these new horrors were the source of victory after victory, true, without them humanity might have fallen into the abyss, but we, the children of those that abandoned the Ancient Tenets, have born a harsh burden ever since.

"Yes, for a time, the Magi grew wealthy, and the Old Orders flourished. Seats of great power were obtained. Prestige was piled steep. But with the new wealth came new sloth, with the new power came new arrogance, with the new admirers came new negligence. The Magi drew inward. They obsessed over the wonders of their spells and shoveled disdain on the ignorant filth called the Imperiti. They never thought to share. They never thought to care. With each generation, our ancestors became more and more disconnected from the humanity that lived around them." Eikhorn looked out into the crowd and raised an eyebrow. "Like some of you with your computerized games..."

"Oh, right, me playing Mario Kart is gonna lead to genocide," Sadie grumbled.

"Geno-what?" I asked.

"Shh," Sadie whispered, "Eiky's getting to that part."

I shuffled uncomfortably in my chair. I wondered if I should be taking notes. Most of the students remained at attention. It was like someone was singing the National Anthem. This must have been a story they'd heard many times. A history their parents told to them as children. A story they put stock in. The deaths of their friends had shaken these people. You could smell the fear in the air. I figured Eikhorn was reminding them of who they were by re-connecting them to their past. Perhaps she hoped they would draw strength from this shared heritage...von Herder would be proud.

"The Magi were not alone in their negligence! The cataphract knights became fat and lazy as well. They forgot their skills and hired others to fight in their stead. And what was the result? The Imperiti grew fearful of our power, suspicious of our secrecy, and disgusted by our vices...and I tell you, young magi, their appraisal was correct.

"With blood in the water, the rest was predictable. In Europe, the Church no longer saw the need for co-existence. To them, we had always been their enemy's enemy-never a friend. The Church coveted our lands, wealth, and leylines. But we rested easy, confident in our power. We had bested those from beyond the frame; what threat could mere Imperiti pose? But all the power in the world is worthless if you cannot bring it to bear, and a sloth is still slow even when it desires haste.

"And so, on Friday the 13th of October, 1307, the ashes of the Templar Knights filled the skies of Europe. The most powerful humans on the face of the planet had been caught unprepared. Their charred bones serve us as an eternal reminder: Vigilance, students. Vigilance or death.

"The Old World's ley network, upon which our ancestors had built the grand cathedrals, was turned against the Magi. Deprived of the power of our leylines, we fell one-by-one to the hunts. The Long March began. The Teutonics fled east. In their desperation to survive, they succ.u.mbed to the worst of our temptations. They captured slaves. Perverted them. Compromised their souls. And what did it buy them in the end? Eighty more years of inhuman existence. Perhaps we should rejoice that they were crushed at Tannenberg."

Murmurs arose from a section of the auditorium across from us. Eikhorn ignored them.

"The Knights Hospitaller fared better. They played the few cards they had wisely and made themselves invaluable in the defense against the Muslims. But their path remained b.l.o.o.d.y. How many times over the centuries were their numbers halved? And then the fall of Rhodes. 7,000 men against 200,000. Hexes that cracked open the heavens. Six months of horrors ending in The Sacrifice of the Twelve.

"For their bravery, Charles V granted the surviving Hospitallers the island of Malta. That lonely island became the last bastion of our kind in Europe. I myself traveled there as a girl to find shelter from the Church's persecution. In return for Charles V's protection, our raiding parties harried Muslim shipping lanes. We sent their supplies under the waves again and again. We frustrated their entrance into Europe. We goaded them until they launched an a.s.sault upon us. The Siege of Malta began. We signaled for aid as planned, but our messengers were silenced. Our promised reinforcements were withheld. Philip II abandoned us. 550 Hospitallers and 8,000 brave Imperiti soldiers were left to face the entire Ottoman army alone.

"The horrors I witnessed...the plagues, the starvation, the unending a.s.saults. Battles raged for weeks on end. I remember days when a snared rat was considered a gift from the G.o.ds. I remember days when a gla.s.s of water was worth twice its weight in gold. The months pa.s.sed like one long smear of blood. Both sides withered from the barbarity. Our carefully laid fortifications were rent to dust. We feared all was lost. The Ottomans encroached. Siege towers launched, their rushing hordes clamored for our blood. And in the midst of this madness, under more strain than you children can ever imagine, Jean Parisot perfected confoundment, and our entire world changed...

"With the stroke of his wand, the Ottomans despaired. The pashas' grand army fled in confusion. Nary 600 souls survived that siege, but at long last, we earned the favor of the Church. The Grand Master of the Hospitallers was granted cardinal rank. The Ancient Tenets were codified. The Conscious agreed to never again employ the dark arts, root out those who did, and forever practice their craft in secret. In return, the Church agreed to end the pogrom. The war ended. Our future was secured. Yes, some persecution has continued. Yes, some of the Tenets are chafing. But the return to them has ensured our very survival. Never forget, children. We draw breath because of them."

Eikhorn stopped walking and looked out into the crowd.

"We will do everything in our power to ensure the safety of this school, but take heart, children, the Conscious have faced worse. Trust in the Tenets. They are the source of our strength. Trust in them, and they will help guide you through the difficult times ahead."

With that said, Eikhorn walked back to her step and plopped down. What an odd message. What did such a lengthy history lesson have to do with yesterday's attacks? At a time like this, why was Eikhorn so concerned about rules and regulations?

Behind me I thought I heard Rei yawn.

Dean Albright stood and cleared his throat.

"Thank you, Chancellor. Now we shall honor the memories of the fallen with a moment of silence."

The students and faculty bowed their heads forward.

This kind of thing always made me feel uncomfortable. What did the dead care? I tried to take stock of my situation instead. Of the sixteen initiates attacked, I was the only one not captured or killed. If Rei hadn't been around, they would have gotten a hold of me for sure...but then what? What was the point? Why try to capture a bunch of inexperienced spellcasters? I sighed. Rei was right. I had no clue what was going on. Heck, I didn't even know where to start. All I knew was that I didn't like my odds.

I risked a peek behind me. Rei was two rows back. She wasn't praying so much as struggling to stay awake. Her head bobbed up and down like a slow-mo yo-yo. Ichijo f.u.kimura sat next to her. Pressing his palms together in front of him, he was murmuring quietly to himself. He completed the ritual with three firm claps of the hands. Rei startled awake, her veiled head darting about in confusion. Discovering the perpetrator, she needled f.u.kimura in the side. f.u.kimura let out a little yip and jumped. I smiled. A Shinto priest and a vampire...there was a joke in there somewhere.

"In light of this incident," Dean Albright announced, "all students are to remain on campus. Any suspicious activity is to be reported to a captain or a member of the faculty. And everyone, please no do-it-yourself fortifications or counter-hexes..."