Imogen was a lot better at casting than Sebastian gave her credit for.

It kind of irked him. She was a natural, which didn't make sense considering she was only half magician. And that half wasn't even an Eldair. The girl's mother had been a Solair—a low-level caster.

Realistically, Imogen shouldn't have been able to cast more than a simple cleaning spell.

Yet, there she was, pelting Sebastian's violet shield charm with an assault of stunning spells.

"Yield!" she shouted from across the dueling platform.

Gritting his teeth, Sebastian dropped his charm and dodged her attacks. He dipped his shoulders and wove in and out of her striking range. She might have been able to throw the magic, but she hadn't quite mastered the accuracy part yet.

That was good for him. She would've had him frozen in the middle of the dueling platform by now if her aim was any better.

"I'm taking it easy on you!" he shouted back.

He wasn't. While he wasn't going all out, he definitely wasn't taking it easy. He took training seriously; it didn't matter if he was dueling a Shade or some halfling Ordinaire.

Apparently, so did Imogen.

That was why the pair of them were training in the wee hours of the morning in the dueling grounds just outside of the Eldai barracks that guarded the Eldenarian Council buildings. This place was usually full of Eldai practicing their casting. The faint smell of sulfur left over from the past spells lingered in the air.

A simple set of pillars shaped into a circle framed the three dueling platforms in the center. Brown patchwork tarps had been thrown over the wooden stanchions that rose above the sandstone pillars. Racks of weapons were pushed off to the side, along with a few benches and practice dummies. Seven flags—each belonging to one of the original houses of magic—hung in the air between the pillars.

Sebastian and Imogen were fighting on the main platform, which sat in the dead center of the dueling grounds. Specks of glimmering eldricite lined the frame of the wooden deck, providing a small source of light in the disappearing twilight.

"Taking it easy..." Imogen kissed her teeth. "Yeah, right." She cocked her arm back and readied a blasting spell.

Gulping, Sebastian hit the deck.

His elbows and forearms rubbed uncomfortably against the dusty tarp covering the stone platform they were battling on. He popped up to his feet with a grimace. That was going to leave a nasty burn later.

"Alright," he grumbled. "Time to end this."

He cupped his hands together before spreading them apart while twisting his fingers. A swirling sphere of dark purple magic floated between his palms. With a grunt, he pushed it toward his adversary. It hurtled at her faster than a bullet.

She hit the ground and skidded across the tarp. Her short hair fell into her face as a cloud of thick dust floated around her.

Through the haze, he noticed her body went limp.

Sebastian froze. His eyes widened.

Oh no.

He rushed over to her, his heart beating rapidly in his chest. Sweat formed on his temple as he knelt beside her. The girl's eyes were closed and it didn't look like she was breathing. He could see the traces of magic floating from her chest where his spell hit her.

It wasn't supposed to kill her. It shouldn't have killed her. That spell couldn't have done more than knock the wind from her lungs.

But she was still an Ordinaire. Perhaps his magic was too much for her body to—

Her hand snapped up from the ground and wrapped around his neck. She yanked his head down until their faces were nearly touching. He tensed, his eyes widening even more. Before he could react, she had her other palm hovering in front of his eyes. He could see the magic hiding behind the spot where her mark should've been had she been born an Eldair like him.

Imogen opened her eyes and grinned.

"I win."

Blood rushed to Sebastian's cheeks. His mouth twitched as he felt anger rising within his chest. He ripped her arm off his neck and shot up to his feet. Shaking his head, he backed away while wagging a finger at her.

"You're sick, Imogen."

She picked herself up and dusted her jeans off. "Or maybe I just know how to secure a victory."

"No, I think you're a psychopath. Seriously."

"Oh, get off your high horse. You would've done the same thing."

He rolled his eyes.

Granted, it was a brilliant move, but he hated that she had done it to him. He also hated how quick he was to see if she was okay. He thought he had hurt her. The mere thought of her dying because of something he did made his stomach twist into knots.

A sneer grabbed at his lips. He fought to keep it at bay.

"Problem, Sebby? You look kind of pissed?" She smiled sweetly as she strolled up to him. "Mad that a stupid little Ordinaire bested you?"

He narrowed his eyes at her. "Shut up."

"Make me."

They were standing just a few inches away from each other now. Imogen had craned her neck up so that they were nearly at eye-level. He could feel her breath against his lips as they glared at one another.

Sebastian's frown melted away. His face grew hotter than it already was. He felt himself leaning in closer toward her. Just a few more centimeters and their lips would be touching.

Just a few more centimeters and—

"What is going on here?!"

The two of them broke away from each other, nearly ending up on opposite corners of the dueling platform. Hands shaking, Sebastian turned to the owner of the voice that interrupted them.

It was Siren.

And Ajax and Remy were with her.

Sebastian's heart dropped into his stomach with an audible splash.

Oh no.

The three magicians approached him with a bemused expression on their faces. Remy and Ajax were failing at hiding their grins while Siren looked like she had seen a ghost. The blond stopped in front of him and tilted her head.

"Did I just see you two about to—"

"Yeah, let's not mention that, alright?"

She pursed her lips at him before directing her gaze toward Imogen. A smile spread across her pink lips as she gave the other girl a thumbs up. Imogen buried her face in her hands.

"What are you two even doing in here? It's, like, five in the morning." Yawning, Remy rubbed his eyes. "Also, last time I checked, this was the dueling grounds. You know...for dueling." His golden eyes flickered over to Imogen. "And magicians. No offense, Immy."

"Gee, none taken."

Sebastian rubbed the back of his overheating neck. "Well, you see..."

Ajax tilted his chin upward as he squinted at him. "He was dueling."

"With who?" Remy's face twisted in confusion. "There's no one else in..." Realization dawned upon his face like the early morning sun greeting the sky above them. "Oh. I get it now."

"Get what?" Sebastian asked, his voice a bit higher than usual.

"Looks like the secret's out," Imogen said as she joined the rest of the group. She settled in next to Sebastian, though, the two of them refused to meet each other's gaze.

"Secret?" Siren looked between the two of them. "Seems like you two have quite a few of those."

"Oh, grow up, Siren," Sebastian grumbled.

She playfully blew a kiss at him.

"I've been meaning to tell you guys," Imogen wrung her hands together as she looked down at her shoes, "but I didn't really know how to tell you."

"Tell us what?" Siren inquired. Her blue eyes were searching the other girl's face for further explanation.

She took a deep breath before exhaling.

"I'm a magician."

Siren burst out laughing. In fact, she had laughed so hard that tears had sprouted in her eyes. As she wiped them away, she took note of the straight faces of the three boys standing around her. She stopped laughing as her entire body went stiff. She faced Imogen.

"Oh, you're serious?"

She nodded.

"A magician...." She shook her head. "But how? No offense, of course. But how?!"

Beside her, Remy snickered. "Well, obviously her parents had to have been magicians. Though, I'm not sure how she didn't know that. Or maybe she did." He arched an eyebrow at her. "Have you been pretending to not know about magic this whole time?"

Imogen rolled her eyes. "No, I wasn't pretending. I've only known for a few weeks."

"How do you know?" Ajax folded his arms. "Wait, how didn't you know?"

Sebastian glanced at the Ordinaire. Ajax's question was valid. How didn't she know her mother was a Solair? She grew up with the woman. Wouldn't she have noticed her performing magic at one point or another?

"I was six when my mother was killed," Imogen finally said. "I...I don't remember a whole lot about back then. I never saw her do any magic around me. I'm pretty sure that was done on purpose. I don't think she wanted me to know."

"Why wouldn't she want you to know?" Ajax shook his head. "It's not common for a Solair to want to suppress their identities."

Imogen chewed on the bottom of her lip. Sebastian could tell she was getting nervous.

He cleared his throat and stepped forward. "Let's pick up the interrogation session later, yeah? You're stressing her out."

Ajax ignored him and kept his green gaze on the girl. "I'm just trying to figure out how a magician grows up not knowing they're a magician." He peered at the black-haired boy before him. "Our magic manifests when we turn nine. Sometimes even earlier than that. You're trying to tell me an eighteen-year-old wouldn't know about their magic?"

"Just leave it alone man."

"It's not adding up."

"I'm not a full-blooded magician!" Imogen exclaimed.

Everyone froze, their stares locked on the girl.

"What do you mean?" Remy scratched the top of his head. "Your father is an Ordinaire?"

Before Imogen could answer, Sebastian intervened. "Yep, that's exactly right. Her father is just some random, normal Ordinaire—"

She shook her head at him.

"Imogen..."

"It's fine, Sebastian. I'll tell them."

His shoulders slumped. He was afraid she might tell them the second part of her secret. Revealing her magician heritage wasn't what he was worried about. It was her ties to the Arkangels that he didn't want to get out.

Remy and Siren might not have cared too much, but he knew Ajax would. House Brynjir hated the hunters—maybe even more so than the other houses. Throughout history, it was usually the house of battlemages that went to war with the Arkangels. Who knew how Ajax would react once he found out Imogen's father was one?

Alas, the secret would have to come out eventually.

"Tell us what?" Ajax pressed. Next to him, Siren quietly urged him to calm down.

"My father...he's...he was..."

She faltered, her bottom lip trembling slightly.

Ajax furrowed his thick brow at her. "He was what?"

"He was an Arkangel."

Everyone went silent for a moment. Sebastian noticed Remy and Siren exchange a wary look while Ajax simply glared at the short-haired girl before him. Finally, he spoke.

"An Arkangel?" His upper lip curled into a snarl. "You mean to tell me you're related to those monsters?"

"Yes, but I didn't know until recently. And I'm pretty sure he quit. I think that was the reason why they killed my mother."

"We've been traveling with an enemy this whole time." The battlemage turned to Sebastian. He pointed an accusatory finger at him. "This is your fault."

"She didn't know, Ajax." He lifted his chin and squinted at the taller boy. "She's on our side."

"Have you forgotten how many magicians the Arkangels have killed? How safe havens they've destroyed?" Ajax shook his head before setting his glare upon Imogen. "And now we have one inside the walls of the Eldenarian Palace."

Siren swiftly moved between the giant ginger and the Ordinaire. She placed a hand on his broad chest. "Imogen is our friend. She may be related to the hunters, but she's not one of them." A bright smile stretched across her flawless face. "She's one of us."

Imogen nodded appreciatively but stayed quiet.

"One of us..." Ajax snorted. "We'll see about that."

Remy laughed nervously. "You know, this is kind of funny. And quite the coincidence, I might add. Who could've imagined the girl we picked up from a police station in Canada would turn out to be the child of a magician and a hunter. I'm pretty sure she's the first halfling of that type ever."

Imogen frowned at him. "Ever?"

He nodded. "You might be the most hated halfling in the world." The boy stopped to scratch the top of his head. "Well, aside from Makaela."

Sebastian's mouth twitched at the mention of her.

He had almost forgotten she was a halfling herself. The girl had the blood of Lumi and Mauvorin in her veins; a dangerous and rare combination. It's what made her so powerful.

"I'm sure there's been others like me," Imogen argued.

"If there has, I would know," Remy told her.

"And if he hasn't read about it," Sebastian started, "then it doesn't exist." He ruffled the boy's brown curls for emphasis.

"Exactly. You get it, Sebby." Remy's eyes widened. He pointed a trembling finger at Imogen. "You're the Bridge."

"Huh?"

Sebastian frowned at him. "What are you talking about?"

"The Bridge," he repeated. "The prophecy. One of the eight people it mentions is referred to as a bridge. It doesn't say what exactly they're bridging together but think about it. Imogen comes from three different walks of life; the Ordinaires, the magicians, and the Arkangels. She's literally the one thing bridging them all together."

It made sense.

Too much sense.

How hadn't Sebastian noticed that before?

He shook his head. "How can you be sure?"

"Just think about it."

"That doesn't mean she's the Bridge, Rem."

"No, I think he's right," Imogen said. She looked at him. "I mean, think about it. Why else would I be here with you all? Something brought me to you." Her hazel eyes lit up. "Fate brought us together."

"Or...it could just be a huge coincidence."

Siren chuckled. "Oh, come on, Sebastian. You should know coincidences aren't a thing wherever prophecies are involved."

Huffing, he jammed his hands into his pockets. He supposed she was right. All of the pieces of this particular part of the puzzle seemed to fit. Still, they couldn't exactly be sure that Imogen was The Bridge. After all, that specific part of the prophecy states that the bridge will 'bring equality'.

If Imogen truly was The Bridge, what kind of equality was she going to bring?

That didn't matter right now, though. Sebastian made an effort to not get too hung up on the specifics of the prophecy. It didn't do anyone any good and it was just a distraction.

All that mattered was defeating his father and the Order. Determining the meaning of Lumi's ancient oracle could come after.

Sebastian glanced at his friends. His eyes narrowed as a question popped into his head.

"What are you three doing here anyways?" he asked.

"Oh, right," Remy replied. "After Imogen's idea in the meeting yesterday, Siren came up with another idea on how we can try and recruit Solairs. We were headed to tell my dad about it. That's when we heard some noise coming from the dueling grounds."

"Oh yeah?" Imogen lifted her brow at the youngest princess of House Aegeon. "Well, what's the idea?"

"The Eldenarian Councilroom can relay a message to every magician across the globe," she explained. "We can use it to contact Solairs and Eldairs spread out around the world to come join us here at the palace. It's the perfect way to get the message out while still protecting the palace."

Sebastian nodded. It was a good idea. But just because they could send out a message doesn't mean people would come to their rescue. Especially not Solairs. He doubted any of them would want to come fight for the same people who kept them disenfranchised from the rest of the magician community.

Still, it was worth a shot.

"Well, what are we waiting for?" he asked while moving toward the exit of the dueling grounds. "Let's go tell Olivier."