‘Something’s wrong,’ Glim said.

Elend froze, turning his attention to the mana spirit in his head. ‘What is it?’

‘I’ve been looking through the records on your tablet. Looks like Dansin Roth met with Elise Moonfire during the break.’

Most people wouldn’t find this meeting strange. Plenty of teachers met with students during the qualifying rounds. Usually, it was to reprimand them for skirting the rules or harming the school’s reputation. A quick slap on the wrist before they jumped back in the game.

But the Artegium had strict rules for these meetings. For one thing, students couldn’t meet with their own teachers or anyone who had a vested interest in them. That meant Elend could speak with most first-years, but not Akari, or Kalden. And first-year teachers like Raizen couldn’t meet with anyone.

On the surface, these two had no connection. Elise Moonfire was a first-year, and Dansin Roth taught upperclassmen. But Elend knew better. Elise and Dansin were both suspected members of the Sons of Talek. Or rather, Elise’s parents were suspected members. To make matters worse, Raizen knew about this connection. He’d known, but he’d still approved the meeting. That meant he could no longer be trusted.

‘Anything else?’ Elend asked.

‘Yeah,’ Glim replied. ‘Elise is getting cozy with the kids now. Looks like a trap.’

That’s it, Elend realized. Students were teleported from the arena when they “died.” What if Dansin had changed this function to take Akari somewhere else? It wouldn’t even be difficult. He’d just need to pay a skilled Space Artist to do it for him—someone expendable, who could double as a scapegoat.

They would teleport Akari somewhere close, then have another Space Artist take her to Creta. She’d vanish in front of millions, and it would look like an equipment malfunction.

“We need to go,” Elend said to Irina. “Now.”

His wife sprang to her feet at once. Meanwhile, Lena shot them a confused look from across the table.

“What is it?” she asked them.

Elend was halfway to the door when he remembered where they were. Irina’s contact was on the other side of Vaslana, and it would take several hours to reach him. Not to mention the trip from Koreldon City to the arena itself. Akari might not have that long.

He turned around and met the Ethersmith’s eyes. “My students are in trouble.” Then he shot Irina a quick glance. “Glim found a clue in the Artegium’s databases. Dansin’s making his move any minute.”

Irina nodded once, turning to face the other woman. “You mentioned portals upstairs. Do any of them go to Espiria?”

Lena’s gaze darted back and forth between them. “They’d never let you up there. Especially not on such short notice.”

“We weren’t planning to ask permission,” Elend said.

Lena gave a long sigh as if she’d expected this.

“We’re fighting the Sons of Talek tonight,” Irina told her.

“Aye,” Elend said with a quick nod. “We’re on your side, and every second counts. Now, will you help us?”

Lena raised her hand. “I have two conditions. First, you won’t harm a single person here.”

“Of course,” Elend agreed. He hadn’t planned on a bloodbath, anyway.

“And you’ll share whatever you learn about Sozen Trengsen.”

“Seems fair,” he said.

Lena let out another breath and clasped her hands together. “An alarm will sound the second you step foot upstairs. When that happens, the Space Artist will close every open portal. Even if you get past the guards, it won’t be fast enough.”

“Leave that part to us,” Elend said. “Now, is there a portal to Espiria?”

“Take a left at the top of the stairs,” she said. “Then the second door on the right will take you to Garriland.”

Garriland was the state directly west of Fransco where the qualifying rounds took place. Depending on the city, that put them anywhere between one and three hours from the arena. It wasn’t perfect, but it was the best deal they’d get.

“What rank is the Space Artist?” Irina asked.

“Master,” Lena replied. “But you might meet several Grandmasters up there as well.”

“Thanks.” Elend gave a curt nod and strode out the door. He and Irina and had fought side by side for decades, and there was no need for words between them.

He cycled dream mana as he approached the staircase where two Master-level guards stood watch. The mana formed a cloud around his body, turning him completely invisible. A heartbeat later, that cloud expanded to include his wife. Invisibility might be inefficient, but the time for pulling his punches had passed. They’d need their full strength to get through that portal.

Glim used the same technique as she floated behind the guards in her Missile form. A second later, she whispered in their ears. Elend didn’t hear specifics, but she must have laced the sound with an overwhelming desire to turn around.

Both guards spun to face her. Elend rushed forward and pressed his hands to the backs of their skulls. First, he unleashed blades of pure mana from his hands. Just enough mana to break their Cloaks without breaking skin. Next, he sent a burst of dream mana straight into their brains.

“Sleep.” He spoke directly to the guards’ subconscious, and his mana carried an urge to obey. Both men slumped over like rag dolls. He and Irina caught them beneath their arms and lowered them silently to the floor.

Unfortunately, getting past the guards was the easy part.

They ascended the stairs together. Then, mere inches from the barrier, Irina activated her Cloak of a Thousand Eyes. This technique flooded the upper floor with a cloud of golden mana. Thousands of small Missiles moved in a massive current, feeding her every detail of the surrounding space.

A blaring siren echoed from some unseen room, and the lightbulbs turned red. No sooner had it begun than Elend unleashed his own technique—a wave of dream mana that filled its targets with relaxation, and a hint of annoyance.

Just another false alarm. No cause for concern.

Glim wove her own mana with Elend’s, darting between her targets, ensuring they didn’t resist.

Just a malfunction. It will stop in a few seconds.

Indeed, a few seconds was all they had. This Space Artist was only a Master, but it was far easier to break a Construct than to maintain it. One thought, one moment of doubt, and the portals would snap shut like book covers.

The pair rushed forward together, and Irina extended her Cloak to include Elend. Artists in the Master Realm could cast their Cloaks on other people, assuming their targets could endure the mana. In the case of Knowledge Artists, they could share their thoughts and memories, eliminating the need for words.

Elend fed his own mana into the technique, and it doubled in strength. Together, they saw every detail of their battlefield. Irina saw the rooms, the people, and the mana. Elend saw the hearts and minds of those they fought. Their intentions, their needs, and their desires.

Irina’s mana extended beyond the estate, through the portals behind each door. Sure enough, one door led back to Espiria, just as Lena had said.

They took a left when they crested the staircase, and several mana blades flew from multiple angles. He and Irina ducked and sidestepped the techniques as if they were children’s toys. Some guards tried to block their path, but they dodged them like trees in a forest. Deep in the Cloak of a Thousand Eyes, they’d charted their path long before they’d reached the top of the staircase.

Time slowed to a crawl as the Space Artist met their eyes from the end of the hall. The man recognized the threat, and he rushed to close his portals. It wouldn’t take longer than a full second.

“Stop.” Elend snapped his fingers, and Glim’s voice joined his. They spoke together in eerie unison, and their mana hit him like a tidal wave. This lacked the subtlety of his usual techniques, and Elend put his entire will into that single word. Another Grandmaster might have resisted something so crude, but not this man. Not only was he a full-rank below Elend, but he’d never fought a Dream Artist directly.

“The portal stays open,” Elend said as he approached.

The Space Artist froze like a startled deer. Not just his body, but his mind and soul.

Several more Masters and Grandmasters rushed upstairs to join the fight, but they wouldn’t make it in time.

Elend spun right, opened the door, and stepped through the portal.