AS I WAIT for the fencing teacher to start our lesson, I roll up my sleeves and look around the open courtyard nervously. The last time I had a class without Layla or Ash, Matteo almost dropped me out of a tree. I can’t help but wonder what’s in store for me next.

Nyx is here and her eyes are puffy, like she cried all night. She hasn’t looked in my direction yet, but I can tell she’s tracking my movements—which I think is worse. In my short time here, I’ve noticed that when people won’t look at you directly, they are paying even more attention. Felix and Ines are also subtly watching me.

“Today, we will have the honor of welcoming Dr. Conner as our guest,” Professor Odd says, taking his place in front of the class. I would think it was a funny name except I happened to recall that odd is also Norwegian for “the point of a sword.” True to his name, Odd is a tall, thin man with a long face who overenunciates everything he says in a theatrical way. “So let’s be quick about getting our fencing gear. I would like you all to give Dr. Conner your very best performances.”

Professor Odd claps his hands together and we form two lines behind him. This time, I make sure to take one of the last spots and not let anyone be where I can’t see them. Unfortunately, Nyx is in the line next to me. She practically radiates anger, and I force myself not to look at her. Judging by how she reacted yesterday to Charles’s death, if I even step wrong she might break my nose.

We follow Professor Odd through the garden courtyard and into the foyer with the shields, where we find Dr. Conner. Every minute standing next to Nyx makes me more tense.

“Ah, Dr. Conner. We’ll just be a moment getting our gear,” Odd says, and makes a small bow.

Conner smiles. “No rush, Professor Odd. In fact, I’ll join you. It’s been a long time since I’ve been in the weapons room.”

“As you like,” Odd says, and we make our way down the hall. A guard unlocks a door and we file into a high-ceilinged, windowless room chock-full of armor, swords, and shields. Locked glass cases display every type of knife imaginable, plus arrows and an assortment of compound and recurve bows. It feels like I stepped back in time to a medieval battle room. What is noticeably missing, however, are those weird Kevlar protective fencing uniforms you always see people with on TV—not that I really expected any safety gear.

Mounted on the wall are dozens of swords, and I watch as each person in line approaches the wall and selects one, which they then present to either Odd or Conner for inspection. My unease takes the joy out of choosing a sword, and I wind up just grabbing the one nearest me and following suit. I breathe a little easier when I notice that the double-edged blades appear dulled for practice. I wait behind Felix for Conner to inspect mine.

I run my finger down the blade as I walk out of the room. I would have died for a sword this nice in Pembrook, but Dad wouldn’t let me have anything but those wooden practice ones. Emily used to joke that I saw The Princess Bride and decided to make it a lifestyle choice by learning all bladed weapons and constantly trying to re-create some dramatic adventure.

We all walk silently back to the courtyard. I notice that Nyx’s hand periodically clenches around her sword, and Felix and Ines seem on edge. Between the dark cloud of general anxiety created by Charles’s death yesterday and Conner looming over us, it’s not really a surprise, though. I’m just grateful Brendan isn’t here. My money is still on him for the “You will be eliminated” message.

“We’ll start today with some freestyle sparring to get your blood moving, and then we’ll begin our lesson,” Professor Odd says, and clasps his hands together. “Dr. Conner, would you like to choose the pairings? And remember, everyone, no boxing or martial arts, just swords.”

“How thoughtful, Professor Odd,” Conner says, and looks us over with a smile. “How about…Felix with Kiku. Ines with…Jaya. November with”—he scans the group—“Nyx.”

My stomach drops. He goes on pairing students, but I don’t listen.

Professor Odd tells us to spread out and then promptly turns to Conner. The two men start chatting, and I reluctantly follow Nyx to the far end of the open courtyard.

She stops close to the dense wall of trees that separates us from the vine courtyard and turns to face me. Her curly hair is pulled back in a messy ponytail and her eyes are just as wild as mine would be if I had lost someone I cared about. As much as I don’t like her, I also can’t imagine how awful it must have been for her to see Charles die like that. I could barely handle it, and he was trying to kill me.

“Look, I know you must—” I begin, but she swings at my left side with her sword. I parry and our blades ring. “Whoa, I wasn’t even in position yet.”

She immediately goes for my right side. I deflect again. She’s hitting me with surprising force, and I remember what Ash said about her taking down people much bigger than her.

She makes eye contact with me, and the hair on my arms stands up.

Nyx swings at my knees. I jump over her blade and give her a good whack on the shoulder.

Her eyes practically smoke with fury. “This is your fault,” she spits at me. “All of this is because of you.”

“Are you kidding? Charles tried to kill me, not the other way around,” I say in a low voice, but it only seems to make her angrier.

She lunges forward, slicing her sword in one direction and then the next. I parry, our swords hitting each other in a constant stream of clangs.

“This is supposed to be—” I start.

Nyx fakes right and swings left. Again I deflect her, but I’m nervous. She’s really good and she’s coming at me like we’re dueling to the death, not warming up. With the force she’s using, if she does land a hit, I’ll be lucky if she doesn’t break one of my bones or give me a concussion.

“—practice, Nyx. You’re gonna wear us both out before we ever get to our lesson.” I glance momentarily at Professor Odd and Conner, but they’re laughing together and not paying any attention to how aggressive she’s being.

Looking away was a mistake, because Nyx sidesteps and slices at my head. I just manage to block and step, but now my back is to the tree wall.

“Wear us out?” She laughs, but the sound is anything but happy. It almost verges on a sob. “Screw you, November. You and your family should have died a long time ago. Now we’re all suffering for that mistake.”

For a second I think I misheard her. Is she talking about my Bear Family or my immediate family?

She runs at me and angles her sword at my ribs. I block, but her momentum forces me to backstep again. Nyx slashes high at my head and I duck. Her sword hits the tree trunk behind me and I ready myself for another blow, but her blade is lodged in the trunk. She screams in frustration, and Professor Odd and Conner turn in our direction.

My heart starts to pound so hard that it blots out all the noise in the courtyard. A dull blade wouldn’t do that.

Panic shoots through me and I move quickly away from the trees as she yanks her blade out of the wood. Sure enough, her sword is razor-sharp. I’ve been so busy dodging her blows that I didn’t notice.

“Nyx!” Odd yells from across the courtyard, and her name is suddenly like a bell in my mind. Sarete ridotti could also mean “You will be nixed.” My Italian is rusty or I would have considered it earlier—a clever play on words.

Nyx rushes at me, slashing her blade three times, fast and hard. I block, but only barely. She grunts in frustration and aims at my face. I move to deflect, but she doesn’t follow through. Instead, she throws a kick at my legs and I land hard on my back. In an instant she’s standing over me.

She lifts her sword over her head and jabs it at my heart with both of her hands. I roll, but not fast enough, and the blade catches the edge of my upper arm. I swing my sword at her, forcing her back so I can scramble to my feet.

I can hear Odd and Conner screaming at her, but she doesn’t pause.

Nyx slashes at me before I regain my balance. I get my sword up, but at an awkward angle, and she hits it so hard that it flies right out of my grip. For a split second we make eye contact and the corner of her mouth twitches upward. One swing and I’m dead.

I turn and run for the trees. The trunks are mostly smooth bark and the branches don’t begin until a good twenty feet up. But there are some nubs where the lower branches have been cut off.

Nyx’s boots pound the grass behind me and I jump for one of the sawn-off branches, only just pulling up my legs as her blade hits the wood. I manage to climb a few more feet and she screams, pacing at the bottom of the tree. But I can’t go any higher. The next handhold is too far to reach, and my arm and leg muscles are already straining from the awkward position I’m in. My cut upper arm throbs and I know I only have about a minute before I lose my grip.

Nyx wraps her fist around her sword hilt, and I can see she’s switched tactics. She’s going to throw it like a spear. Shit. She narrows her eyes as she calculates. But just as she pulls back her arm, Professor Odd grabs her wrist. She turns around, swinging.

Conner pulls a needle out of his blazer pocket and jabs her in the arm. She stumbles two steps, drops her sword, and falls into the grass.

“Get two guards and tell them they’re to take her to the dungeon,” Conner says, and Odd takes off at a jog.

I let go of the tree and drop into the grass. For a couple of horrible seconds everyone is completely still. And it occurs to me—none of the other students tried to help me.

Conner dabs his forehead with a handkerchief and frowns. “Go to the infirmary, November.”

I look down at my arm. Blood is dripping off my knuckles and into the grass.