Cypur tried again, but it was the same thing. Again. Again! The line of Sorcerers began to laugh at his attempts. If he couldn't do this, he was practically useless in this battle. He only knew a little of swordsmanship and only a few useful spells for occasions like this.

I knew I should have spent more time browsing through forbidden spells!

"Bastard!" He kicked at the ground.

Arius rode the giant frog-like Faud, brandishing his sword and declaring a duel with any challengers. "I fight for what is right! Come to me if you deem yourselves worthy opponents."

Police jumped and hovered in the air. Five to meet Arius alone. They sent spell after spell against him which he canceled, dodged, or hit back with his sword. They weren't giving him a fair chance to fight back. Ropes latched around his arms, and he dropped his sword. Before he could summon it, a policewoman kicked him in the stomach and punched him in the face.

Arius' Faud shrunk beneath him until he was on the ground, surrounded. Cypur paused from trying the explosion spell again as police captured Arius in invisible rope. They kicked and punched him.

Wescherlie was trying to get out of her net, but another one came on top of it, making it harder to escape. She winced every time she used her magick.

I have to do something. I have to save them. But Cypur's thoughts were alone in not giving up. His legs were rooted to the ground. His palms sweaty and hands shaking. Dread fell over his shoulders. This was the end of the line, but how fitting as they stood at the literal edge of the Ring.

The policewoman took a few steps forward until he could make out something on her belt—his dagger. That was where it got to?

She flashed him a smile but maintained her blank stare. "I know such a perfect student like you does not like to lose but sometimes, Cromlight, life is not fair. You were born a criminal for it is criminal you have such pure, golden magick. It is power you cannot handle, and which hurts you because it makes you murder."

"You want my murderous magick," he said, and she nodded.

"Extract it and put it in a bottle. Let's all stop this foolish cat and mouse game, Cromlight." She held out her hand and came closer. "Come with me. Free yourself of such horrendous power." She licked her lips and her eyes turned black. Cypur eyed that dagger. The precious dagger that Arius made for him and that the Kathula female polished and sharpened. He noticed something else, too. Having kept his distance from the policewoman, he hadn't had the chance to stare at her attire. It wasn't right and he knew this because his parents had long made police uniforms.

She's wearing a fraud?

Thoughts and ideas whizzed around in his mind. He noticed all the police were wearing the wrong uniforms. The colors were right, but the insignia was on the left lapel, the pockets were square on the bottom, and the number of buttons were the same, and so many other small things only a trained eye would notice.

Why haven't I thought of staring at them before? But he couldn't be sure his theory was right, although he had a hunch. "What are the five numbers that mention magick extraction for a criminal case? I'd like to know, Missus, if you would be kind to remind me. And then I will be happy to hand it over."

The policewoman smiled and licked her lips again. "Number thirty-eight, fifty, fifty-one, and sixty-three." She kept coming closer. "And your magick will be safe with me." She hiccupped. "With us."

"You mean thirty-seven?"

The policewoman paused. "Right, of course. What a silly mistake," She laughed, "Now, come along to me."

Faud? Cypur called.

Yes! It replied eagerly.

Are you ready for some steppenchellia?

I think I know what you're up to.

"Missus," Cypur groaned, "I feel my Faud coming out again. Please, if you would help me now!" He hugged himself and lurched forward. The policewoman caught him in her arms.

"Of course, darling. Eerious, let's get to extracting," she called over her shoulder. "And then it will be ours!"

Now! Cypur summoned his Faud. It sprang out of his chest as he snatched the dagger from the policewoman's belt and stabbed her in the leg. She screamed and fell over. His Faud was dancing up a storm of dust. He pronounced a wind spell, throwing it at the police gathered around Arius. In moments, he freed himself and ran to help Wescherlie.

"You're all frauds!" Cypur shouted. "I know all about you." It was an old tactic of deceit, but he had to believe in his hunches. "Every single one of you. What did you do with the real police?"

Eerious was by the policewoman's side, helping her up. "How did you know? I look exactly like her. I could have gotten away with it if it wasn't for—"

"Hush, Cleoni!" Eerious shouted. "He was bluffing."

But Cypur had heard enough to confirm his theory true. Then Wescherlie came to stand next to him. To her left was Arius. The police were all dropping down to fighting stances, readying to attack. Cleoni and Eerious had retreated and were calling out orders for formation.

"Are you ready?" Wescherlie asked with a grin. Beyond her, Arius gave a firm nod as the police roared and came rushing toward them. A part of him wondered why in the name of the moons it had to be so dramatic against only the three of them.

Sorcerers would have it this way, I suppose.

He looked down at his Faud who stared up at him with big, googly eyes and a lolling tongue. The golden sparkles on his back intensified, leaving his body and tingling across Cypur's skin.

He knew it was time, and he had the perfect name. "Chrysios, let's fight for a better world."

A cloud of golden magick burst out of his chest. Magick rippled in his heart, pumping into his veins, and he gasped as the connection was made and he was one with his Faud. At a thought of command, Chrysios turned into a giant, thrashing creature whose claws left deep marks in the ground.

Cleoni's Faud sprung from her chest, shaking its mane side to side. It was a yellow horse with spikes along its body like a porcupine and a tail shaped like a blade.

"If you want to face me as me, well why don't we do it that way then." Her face morphed, turning paler and more gaunt around her cheekbones. Eyes sunk into her skull and dilated. Yellow fur sprung from her gloves and fluffy paws sprang out, covered in dark spots. They looked like mittens on her thin white arms.

"Ropardia?" Wescherlie said. "Looks like the cat's out of the bag, Cypur!"

Cleoni's transformation ended there. The only leopard part of her were her feline eyes and thick, fluffy paws.

"Oh yes, I was jealous of Alsinda, getting all the attention with her performances. Two years ago, I stole away this position to get her." She flipped her hair and cackled. "I am so clever I love myself."

Eerious stepped forward. "Cleoni, you promised you would give half to me." She rolled her eyes and swatted at him, making him leap away. "You said you loved me."

"I love myself more." She spat. "Now I have something Alsinda will never have because I'm the Captain of Sorcerer Police. I can do whatever I want, and I can get whatever I want. And I want that magick." She hissed and spittle fell from her mouth. "That magick is mine!" She drew her sword out of thin air. Orange sparks flew around her hair. "Get them or I'll kill you all!"

The Sorcerers fanned out and came in two groups on Cleoni's left and right. Wescherlie gave a war cry and charged, dodging raining fireballs. She shot black and purple balls of smoke into Sorcerers' faces and they began bumping into each other as if they couldn't see. Arius was behind, dancing around lightning bolts and avoiding magick nets.

Now, Cypur faced off with his enemy. Not only did she talk about herself too much, but she revealed that she put the real police in jail two years ago and took power with her fake brigade. After the Great Sigh when peace was to be had, she learned of Charmteller and his hidden past. The son he gave away before he was exiled lived in Cormeialette. Golden magick could still be hers to keep.

"I kept an eye on you. Sinful male lover."

"There's nothing wrong with it." He gritted his teeth. She was the one that condemned Sorcerers for all the wrong reasons. How many were in jail for having romantic feelings? "And your rule ends here, Cleoni!"

Golden magick collected in his hand. Chrysios roared a threat to Cleoni's Faud who recoiled. Cleoni yelled something and then it charged. She came at Cypur at the same time. Fauds clashed as swords clanged. Magick burst from his sword, golden and angry. But his feet skidded as Cleoni pushed him back.

"You're still a weak Apprentice rank," she said with a smile, "and you know who had a hand in that?"

Cypur shuddered under her magick as it claimed his sword. Yellow chewing gold like her Faud was chomping on Chrysios' back. He cried and rolled about but Cleoni's Faud held tight. Grunting, he tried to push her back. Sweat trickled down his cheek like a tear. His arms hurt and his palms burned.

Cleoni was right up against him as her magick cocooned him, searching for a way into his core. "I made the law that Apprentices can only advance if they have developed their Faud." She sneered.

Shocked at her words, Cypur lost his balance and fell to the ground. The sword flung from his grasp. Cleoni's magick dove into his mouth, choking him.

"Sooner or later, your magick would explode at the same time Charmteller would escape his exile. His plan would be to find you and help you. But he's stuck in Yorkwren and can't make it out. Being in exile has made him weak."

As she spoke, Cypur tried to grab her and push her away, but his arms turned weak. He went in and out of his magick as hers probed deep into his core, grabbing the one thing that made him special. Tears touched his eyes as she pulled.

"P-Please, stop," he rasped. Speaking made his throat burn as her magick pricked him from the inside.

"You are weak like him," she continued calmly as he struggled against her, trying to hold his magick within himself, but he was losing grip, "pathetic and weak, undeserving of such power."

Cypur's head reeled, and nausea poked his stomach. His magick slipped from his grasp.

Cleoni leaned into his face. "You should thank me, Cromlight, as your body dies a slow and painful death in the Fifth Ring where you'll be living out the rest of your sorry life, sinful male. That's all you are."

The sounds of the battle came into his ears. Arius' baritone voice pronouncing spells. Wescherlie's grunts and shouts as she kicked and punched at her opponents. Twenty against two and what was he doing here? Wasn't he a new Cypur now? Did he let citizens trample over him like this?

Cleoni gasped as he snatched his magick back with all his might. She fell backwards and before she could get up, he strapped her in rope, copying to the spell she used to bind her victims. It only took recollection of the times he saw her use it and little lip-reading.

Cypur fixed his cape and dusted his shoulders. Then he combed his fingers through his hair and stared her down as she lay on the ground. Roles were reversed now, and he had his dagger. If he laced it with golden magick, he could kill her.

"I thought I put you into permanent doom," she said with a nervous laugh. "You should be a weak, pathetic, sniveling being after the many years I forced Academy to hold you back. That I paid citizens to belittle you and break your spirit. Why are you still standing?"

She yelped when Wescherlie kicked her in the head. "Because I taught him to eat some pie called slack and he's stronger than you think." She wrapped an arm around his shoulder. "You okay? I kicked too many butts to count, but the guns are still ready." She made a muscle and grinned. "Arius got them all tied up and captured in their own nets."

Sure enough, most of the police were captured and the rest knelt in defeat while a few others stared at their two leaders. Eerious was trying to get out of a magick net and Cleoni had gone crazy again with her black eyes staring greedily at Cypur. Aesthetic possession was a stubborn thing.

I need all the evidence I can get and it's in my memory now. Cypur put his dagger away and called Chrysios to his side. He was no murderer, after all.

With a whistle, policeships shot out from Yorkwren and behind them, ravens followed.

"Stone the Rauvuren!" Wescherlie exclaimed just as the ravens transformed into flying Rauvurens. She leapt to the sky to meet them when Cleoni sprang from the ground, freeing herself from Cypur's bounds and grabbed Wescherlie's legs, pulling her down.

"Greedy bastard." Cypur was about to attack Cleoni when a spark of gold zapped her in the face and she screamed. Wescherlie stabbed an elbow into her throat, and she released her arms, falling to the ground where she writhed about in the sand.

Wescherlie returned to Cypur's side. "Did you do that?" she asked, but he shook his head.

At that moment, a Sorcerer with long golden hair wearing a black cape floated to the ground. One hand outstretched to Cleoni prevented her from rising. Sparks of golden magick flew from the fingertips. With the other, he combed his fingers through his hair, a gesture too familiar that Cypur stood where he was, stunned. Wescherlie gasped and grabbed his hand.

"Hello, Cypur, Wescherlie," the male said with a smile and a bow. It was Charmteller.