ome on! What was that?” I shouted angrily as a Patriot player fell from his Pegasus to the net below.

The hundreds of other fans in our section were equally riled. The score was now 15–14 to the Giants’ advantage. Midveil and Tunderly had been bitter rivals for many years, and as the second half of the game commenced, it became increasingly violent.

Just like at school, the projection orbs flying through the sky captured up-close images of everything that happened. These visuals were shown across different sizes of holographic screens that floated several hundred feet above the center of the arena. The magic tech made the whole event seem larger than life.

“Go! Go! Go!” Patriots’ fans chanted as Sam Ginchansky, the star player of our team, plunged toward the goal. I jumped up and down so much that most of the popcorn in my tub fell to the floor.

“Shoot it!” I screeched.

Ginchansky bobbed and weaved expertly past a couple of opponents before swinging his lacrosse sword and hurling the ball into the goal.

Everyone around me freaked out. Alex high-fived the dude on his right while I launched myself into a full chest bump with the guy on my left.

Ginchansky’s face filled all eight of the arena’s holographic screens. He lifted his visor and gave a wink and a smile to the crowd. The stadium went wild.

As the teams readied for the next play, the fans began to settle back into their seats. I threw one arm around Alex and hugged him.

“What’s that for?” he asked.

“Nothing. Just thanks. You must’ve had to go through a lot of trouble to score these tickets, and you have no idea how much I appreciate it.”

He shrugged off my arm like big brothers typically did. “Sure thing,” he replied. “I thought it’d be nice for us to squeeze in some mismanaged adventure while we still had the chance. And, anyway, this match seemed like it’d be a good one.”

“A good one?” I repeated. “Have we been watching the same game? This is the greatest thing ever!”

“I’m glad you’re having fun,” he said, smiling. Then he glanced at the fallen popcorn on the ground. “Maybe a little too much fun?”

“What? Oh.” I grinned. “My bad. I’ll get more.”

As I stood up, Alex leaned in. “Remember,” he whispered. “Keep a low profile.”

“Relax,” I whispered back. “I’m not exactly wearing a tiara.”

For security purposes it was vital that my brother and I go unnoticed, us being who we were. But I didn’t think there was anything to worry about. I was gone at school most of the year, so I was hardly recognizable. And Alex hadn’t made a lot of public appearances in Midveil lately, as he’d been travelling with my dad across the realm to better his skills in foreign affairs and diplomacy.

The two of us blended in well; we were dressed in regular clothes and Patriot team colors like every other Midveil citizen present. Alex also wore sunglasses and a hat that shadowed his face. He’d bought an extra hat for me at the entrance of the stadium, which he’d slapped on my head without asking if I wanted it.

Another thing that helped our cover was the fact that we’d gotten seats in the outfield with the rowdiest fans. No one would think to find us here. Of course, blending in wasn’t the only reason Alex had procured tickets in this section. Even if we hadn’t been trying to stay under the radar, we still would have preferred it this way. The dignitaries in the box seats could keep their finger sandwiches, bubbly water, and polite clapping. Alex and I liked it out here where the beverages were of the slushy variety, the smell of processed nacho cheese permeated the air, and the fans caused a lively ruckus.

Nonetheless, I heeded Alex’s advice as I pushed my way out of our row. Chips and pretzel crumbs crunched beneath my boots as I jogged up the stairs.

The wide cement corridors that wound around the arena were fairly deserted, except for the occasional person looking for an open snack stand. Many vendors had abandoned their posts in order to go and watch the game.

As I walked along, I thought about how happy I was in that moment. My magic training was going great. I’d only fought with my father a couple of times since coming back. Pietro and I had been bonding as I taught him how to fly Lucky. And here I was with Alex, having an amazing time watching my favorite sport. I loved the experience so much that my heart only throbbed slightly at the reminder of the Twenty-Three Skidd team I’d left behind.

Had it not been for the spark that came next, I would have spent the rest of the afternoon in the delusion that things in Midveil might always remain this good.

Way down by Section C something caught my eye. It came from the left where there was a curtained-off tunnel that led to the higher floors of the arena. Following my instinct, I slowly brushed aside the heavy curtain. At first everything seemed in order. However, a second later I saw it again in the center of the tunnel—a floating flurry of red sparks.

“What in the . . .”

Suddenly the flurry expanded like a baby cyclone. The glittering swarm took on the familiar shape of a woman.

I jumped back.

“I thought I might find you here,” Lenore said as she restored her wand to ring form and slid it onto her finger. “Instructed to stay within the castle walls or not, I know what a fan you are of this sport, and disobeying direct orders.”

The intimidating Godmother Supreme was wearing a white pantsuit today—high-waisted trousers paired with a fitted, deep V-neck blazer. A silk silver top poked out from beneath it. Her silver shoes were high as ever.

She wore the look well. Lenore wore every look well.

“I’d be impressed by the detective work if I didn’t already know you like spying on me to make sure I stay in line,” I said to the Godmother dryly. “What do you want, Lenore?”

“To talk to you,” she replied simply. “And to make sure that you have been keeping up with your end of our bargain.”

“You expect a lot considering what you almost did to me and my school.”

Lenore raised her eyebrows as if she genuinely didn’t know what I was talking about. “How do you mean?”

“What do you mean how do I mean?” I spat. “You said as long as I didn’t say anything about your skeevy protagonist selection practices that you’d leave me and my friends alone. Yet you, a Fairy Godmother of all things, helped magic hunters break into Lady Agnue’s to try and have me kidnapped and almost got SJ, Blue, and the rest of the students killed in the process.”

“Crisanta, that is absurd,” Lenore responded. “While I am not denying that I have, on more than one occasion, workshopped how to get rid of you without being detected or violating the limitations of my power, I had nothing to do with the attack on your school.”

“Oh yeah,” I scoffed. “Then what were you doing so close to the grounds that night? How did you know our school was in trouble and that the In and Out Spell needed to be lowered?”

“Some of my Godmothers and I were patrolling the area near the schools for the same reason we are currently investigating Midveil and several other kingdoms across the realm,” Lenore answered. “There is disorder afoot. A faction of commons is growing tired with the structure of the realm—protagonist selection, the exclusivity of the academies, even the treatment of Alderon. Your little friend Daniel is from Century City. I’m sure he must’ve told you about what’s been going on there—the flag burnings, the missing persons, the murders.”

I gulped but kept my expression neutral. “He mentioned something.”

“The danger is growing,” Lenore continued. “These commons want to tear down the system we’ve built to keep Book running smoothly. They believe our realm’s division of power is unfair and wish to be on the same level as protagonists, treated as if they are just as important when it just isn’t so. As we have in the past, my Godmothers and I are working with the kingdoms’ ambassadors to find the source of the discontent and silence the threat before it grows too extreme.”

I always got slightly nervous whenever Lenore was this forthcoming with me. The last time she’d been completely open had been right before she’d tried to take my magic away. This frank conversation made me wonder what she wanted from me now. Nevertheless, I was not in the habit of cowering to her. And I was too angry over what happened at Lady Agnue’s to show restraint either.

“If that’s the case, allow me to narrow the search for you,” I replied. “I’m looking at one of those sources of discontent right now.”

“Amusing,” Lenore scoffed. “But so far from the point it’s laughable. I am not the enemy here, Crisanta. Contrary to what you might believe, I am the one trying to protect this world from destruction, from—”

“Change,” I interrupted. “Yeah, I get it. Good luck with that, Lenore.”

I turned my back and started to march out of the tunnel. In a flash the Godmother Supreme appeared in front of me, blocking my path.

“Make no mistake, Crisanta. I came to you today for more than just a routine check-in,” the Godmother said.

What’d I tell you? I had a feeling this was going somewhere unfavorable.

Yet, once again, my spite and spirit outweighed my common sense.

“What, decide to skip the middle man and just end me yourself?” I crossed my arms. “Go ahead and try, Lenore. I dare you.”

She glowered at me. Her hazel eyes burned deeply into my skin, but I held my stance. Although it was ill-advised to threaten one of our realm’s most powerful people, let alone a Fairy Godmother, I knew she couldn’t hurt me. She’d told me so herself.

“Oh, that’s right. You can’t, can you?” I said sassily. “All that power and you can’t use it to bring any serious, direct harm to me. Ironic, isn’t it? You’re such a fan of rules, but they’re preventing you from doing the very thing that I know you’re itching to do.”

Lenore abruptly pulled the ring from her finger. She morphed it into her wand. I gulped, but chose not to reach for my own. Lenore still wanted something from me; I could tell from the way she was looking at me. As long as this was the case, I decided not to react. I didn’t want her to think I was easily intimidated.

“I would watch that anger of yours, Crisanta,” she said condescendingly. “Emotion clouds your judgment. If you continue to believe ridiculous notions like I was responsible for the magic hunter attack on your school, you’ll fall down a rabbit hole from which you cannot escape.”

My arms remained crossed with defiance. I was not buying what she was selling. Lenore could deny it all she wanted, but I was far from being naïve enough to believe her. I was certain that she was responsible for the magic hunters’ attack on Lady Agnue’s. Which meant she was to blame for the horror that had ensued that night—a horror that kept haunting me.

“That matter aside,” Lenore went on, “there is a reason I came to you today.”

Lenore waved her wand and with a scatter of red sparks a piece of parchment materialized out of thin air. She handed it to me. I was surprised and suspicious, but took it from her and began to read.

“Daphne Reigns, Serge Wells, Aggie Black, Connor Erickson . . . What is this?” I asked, holding up the list of two dozen names.

“Suspects under investigation,” Lenore replied. “These are people with access to the Midveil palace who Susannah Marberg and I believe may be involved with the brewing commons rebellion. The list mainly consists of cleaning or kitchen staff members, but there is also a lady-in-waiting, a couple of men in the King’s Guard, a groundskeeper, and . . .” Lenore nodded for me to keep reading.

I scanned the list of names until I reached the last one. “Pietro Knight? You can’t be serious.”

“Unfortunately, I am.”

“How dare you, Lenore. That happens to be my brother you’re talking about.”

“Adopted brother if memory serves,” Lenore corrected.

This infuriated me even more. I attempted to shove the list back at the Godmother, but she refused to take it.

“Keep it,” she said. “Susannah or I will check back in with you in a couple of weeks to see if you have noticed anything peculiar about the people on this list.”

“In case it’s escaped your notice, Lenore, I care as little for Susannah as I do for you. Frankly, I hope someone eventually gains the power to overturn the lot of you. So why in Book would I ever do any of your dirty work?”

“Simple,” Lenore responded with a shrug. “While you may not agree with the ways in which my colleagues and I run the realm, I hardly think you want any harm to befall your kingdom, let alone your own family. That is how these things start, you know. You may think me a ruthless traditionalist, and that change is a good thing. However, shifts in the world hardly ever occur without some casualties.

“Unless you want your kingdom and your family to be among the casualties of this commons rebellion, you will help us. The unrest is real and it is growing. We believe that the next phase in the commons’ plan is to overthrow several kingdoms and eliminate their current rulers. I fear that if swift action is not taken soon, we will not be able to stop this conflict at its conception like we have with so many others over the years.”

“What other conflicts?”

“Exactly,” Lenore said.

She pushed past me to take her leave. “Just keep your eyes peeled, Crisanta, and keep your head down. What we’ve discussed today is merely one example of the many measures my associates and I will take to safeguard the old order. Mercy is never a priority when it comes to realm governance. The other higher-ups and I do not take kindly to those who mean to challenge us. Do you understand, my dear? There is nothing that will prevent me from protecting Book from chaos, from disruption, from—”

“From change?” I interrupted again.

Lenore smiled. “No dear, from you.”

With that, the Godmother waved her wand. Sparks began to consume her and I stepped back. “Bear that in mind the next time you think yourself untouchable enough to test me,” she said. Her face faded into a red glimmer, but her voice still remained. “After all, you wouldn’t want anything as awful as those magic hunters to befall you again, would you?”

In a flash, the red sparks vanished and I was left scowling at empty space.

The cheers from the arena echoed louder as I merged back into the main corridor. They blurred around me like noise pollution. My glee had been sullied by Lenore’s threats and propositions.

The commons rebellion had worried me when Daniel first mentioned it, but I hadn’t dwelled on the matter. It seemed so far away at the time—at school, surrounded by other problems in the immediate vicinity, it was easy not to think about ones far away and out of my control. Now, though, it was different. I was out in the world, exposed to its greater problems and threats. The situation Lenore had described was scary, and she’d made it personal by implying that my family and kingdom were at risk.

I made it back to our row in the stands, but discovered Alex was gone. The score was 19–18 with Midveil in the lead. Despite this advantage, the energy of the game did not feel as infectious as before.

I stared down at the list Lenore had given me, specifically at Pietro’s name. Part of me wanted to help Lenore. Much as I hated her and Sooz, I was smart enough to know that if they were coming to me for help, the threat was serious. But seeing my brother’s name on that list irritated me to such a degree that it gave me misgivings. They were obviously wrong to consider him a suspect, and if they were wrong about that, what else were they wrong about? I had seen no hint of unrest in Midveil.

After a moment, I made the impulsive decision to crumple the note and throw it on the ground. It fell between the cracks of the row of seats in front of me—out of sight and out of mind.

“What happened to the popcorn?” Alex asked, reappearing by my side with a tray of nachos. “I figured I’d run into you on the way back from the snack stand, but didn’t see you anywhere.”

“I got sidetracked,” I replied, speaking the truth. “Care to share?”

“Ugh, fine.” He extended the tray. “But next time you’re on your own.”

“Yeah, yeah,” I replied as I shoved a chip into my mouth. “Just pass the guacamole.”