Page 211

"You hesitated."

"I was thinking."

"You were lying."

"Corvell." Vayne warns him. Rhyven swears under his breath. Vayne looks at me. "What did you feel?"

Both men look at me. Rhyven goes still. Professor Vayne's attention sharpens. I swallow. "Before it broke."

Silence. "I..." How do I explain it? "I felt heat." Rhyven says nothing. "Wind." Still nothing. "Height." His expression changes. Tiny. But I see it. "And..." I hesitate. "Two heartbeats." Professor Vayne's face drains of color. Rhyven becomes completely motionless. I look between them. "What?" Neither answers. "Rhyven."

His eyes meet mine. One heartbeat. Two. Then— "Vyrael."

My stomach drops. "What?"

"The second heartbeat." His voice is quieter now. "It was Vyrael."

Silence. Impossible. "No." Rhyven doesn't argue. He doesn't need to. I know. Somehow...I know. Professor Vayne turns away. Runs both hands over his face. "This stays here."

Rhyven's answer is immediate. "Obviously."

I stare at them. "Excuse me?"

Professor Vayne looks back. "No Council."

"Why?"

"No professors."

"Why?"

"No students."

"Professor—" I start.

"Because I don't know what happened." His voice sharpens. "And until I do, I don't know what telling anyone would accomplish besides putting both of you under observation." My father's words from Monday return immediately. Every manifestation. Inspections. Council review. My Blood Echo is already dangerous enough. If they knew I'd somehow...What? Touched Rhyven's mind? Touched Vyrael through him? Gods.

"Was that a bond?" I ask.

Rhyven answers before Vayne can. "No." Absolute. Certain.

I look at him. "How do you know?"

"Because I know what a bond feels like." Right. Vyrael. Of course. "This wasn't that." He insists.

"What was it?"

"I don't know." I hate that answer. Especially from him.

Professor Vayne walks back toward the circles. "Show me exactly where you were standing."

Rhyven and I return reluctantly. I position myself inside my circle. He takes his place opposite me. Professor Vayne studies the distance. "Again."

Rhyven's head snaps toward him. "No." I blink. Professor Vayne does too. "We need to reproduce—" "No." Rhyven's voice hasn't risen. It doesn't need to. "We don't know what happened."

"Which is why—" Vayne starts again.

"You don't reproduce an unknown magical event five minutes after it threw a first-year across a room." Rhyven interupts him again.