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allegiances easily. Whatever the Council thinks it can accomplish, I don’t see how it could hurt to have your friends trained.”
    “Are you going to teach us again too?” I asked. In preparation for our attempt to pull the sword, we’d done physical training with Vane and magical defense with Matt. Since the wizards made their money by selling magic, anyone out there (magic, regular, or gargoyle) could be armed. The amulet and charms Matt had given us allowed a non-magic person, a regular, to ward off a magical attack.
    Matt shook his head. “I’ve a few things to do.”
    “Second Member duties?” I asked.
    Second Member was the title of the operations head of the Council. They oversaw implementation of all the policies the Council set, and essentially, ran the wizard world. Only the First Member ranked higher. The First Member concentrated on creating policy and usually didn’t get involved with day-to-day affairs.
    The loud staccato of machine gun fire sounded from the speakers as Vane shot ten people in graphic color on the screen. He informed me cheerfully, “The Council removed him as Second Member.”
    Matt waved a hand and the TV turned off.
    Vane made a sound of dissension. “Dullard.”
    Matt’s expression remained blank, but he didn’t fool me. He couldn’t have liked being replaced. He had so many plans. He’d been working on a system to regulate the sale of magic, to make the world safer from its current state of indiscriminate distribution that turned a blind eye to its abuses.
    I asked, “Who was appointed Second Member then?”
    “Councilmember Thorton,” Blake answered.
    “Not that prig,” Vane groaned.
    I agreed. Thorton had no love for regulars—anyone who wasn’t supernaturnal. But then neither had Vane. Vane had always tried his best to keep Candidates who were not wizards out of Avalon Prep. He’d come around though, after we proved we could hold our own. I had forced him to.
    Sylvia walked into the living room, still in her work suit with her dark hair tied back tightly. She saw Vane first and smiled brightly. “I’m so glad to see you. I found this delicious recipe I know you’ll just adore—”
    Then, she spotted Matt. High heels wobbled to a sudden halt. Her face paled. She came to stand beside me, as if she were ready to jump in to defend me against Matt. I suppressed a smile. My adoption by the Ragnars may have been official for only five days but we’d already become a family.
    Vane noticed her protective stance and smirked at me. I rolled my eyes. Like the rest of the wizard world, Sylvia, while awed by Matt, simply adored Vane. She’d been wary when he first showed up at the manor, but after one conversation, he and she were chattering away like two best friends. Matt told me once that Vane’s wizard super-power was talking. It didn’t sound like much of a super-power until you saw it in action. Vane could get pretty much whatever he wanted just by being charming. It was a good thing he rarely bothered to be charming.
    “Master Emrys,” Sylvia said deferentially, because protocol demanded it. The last time she’d seen Matt, a sledgehammer had slammed her life and she still blamed Matt for it. Sylvia glanced out the front window. Clarence and another guardian were scattered around the manor. “Is everything alright?”
    “Of course,” Matt said easily. “However, I need to speak with you. The Council would have me discuss a few matters. I’ve come up with a system to regulate the selling of magic, but I could use your input.”
    “Oh,” Sylvia said with pleased surprise. “Of course, I’d be happy to contribute whatever I can.”
    Ragnar Bank’s largest commodity was magic. The Ragnars had been brokering magic ever since they settled in Boston, in the 1800s. Sylvia showed Matt out of the living room. They went down the short hallway to her office and I heard the door shut.
    I shot Vane a look. “If he’s not Second Member any longer, why is he still