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beads resting in bowls of ice that Call thought was probably caviar.
    Lion-size ice sculptures of manticores flapped crystalline wings that sent a cooling breeze into the air, ice frogs leaped from table to table, and ice pirate ships soared into the sky before running aground on ice rocks. At a central table an ice fountain ran with red punch instead of water. Four ice peacocks perched on the edges of the sculpture, using sparkling claws to ladle the drink into ice cups for passing guests.
    Beside the banquet stood a line of topiaries trimmed into tidy shapes — flowers, symbols, patterns, and letters. Bright flowers ringed each trunk, but the brightest sight of all was an arched folly with a waterfall of liquid fire. It flamed and sparked onto the grass where barefoot girls in party frocks ran back and forth putting their hands into the sparks, which ran up and down their skin without seeming to burn them. As if to drive home the point, a painted sign hung in the air above the waterfall. It read CHILDREN, PLEASE PLAY WITH THE FIRE .
    Call kind of wanted to run back and forth in it, too, but he wasn’t sure if he was allowed or if it was just for little kids. Havoc nosed in the grass for dropped bits of food. Tamara had tied a pink bow around his neck. Call wondered if Havoc felt humiliated. He didn’t seem to be.
    “You’ve been going to parties like this all summer?” Call asked Aaron.
    Aaron looked a little uncomfortable. “Pretty much.”
    “I’ve been going to parties like this all my life,” Tamara said, dragging them along. “They’re just parties. They get boring fast. Now come on, the glamours are actually cool. You don’t want to miss them.”
    They went past the topiaries and the fire waterfall, past the tables and the clumps of partygoers to a wide stretch of lawn, where a small group had gathered. Call could tell they were mages not just by the subtle bands that glittered on their wrists but also from their air of confidence and power.
    “What’s going to happen?” Call asked.
    Tamara grinned. “The mages are going to show off.”
    As if he’d heard her, one of the mages, a compactly built man with light brown skin, raised his hand. The area around the mages started to crowd as Mr. and Mrs. Rajavi called over the rest of the partygoers.
    “That’s Master Cameron,” Tamara whispered, looking at the mage, whose hand had begun to glow. “He teaches at the Collegium. He does the best tricks with —”
    Suddenly, a wave rose from the mage’s hand. It was as if the grass were the sea instead, goaded into producing a tidal wave. It grew and grew and grew until it towered above them, shadowing the party, large enough to crush the house and flood the grounds. Call sucked in a breath.
    The air smelled of brine. Inside the wave, he could see things moving. Eels and sharks snapping their jaws. Salt spray splashed Call’s face as the whole thing crashed down … and disappeared.
    Everyone burst into applause. Call would have clapped, too, if he hadn’t been holding Havoc’s leash in one hand. Havoc was whining and nosing his fur. He hated being wet.
    “Water,” Tamara finished with a laugh. “Once, when it was really hot, he came over and made a massive sprinkler right next to the pool. We all ran through it, even Kimiya.”
    “What do you mean, even Kimiya?” came a teasing voice. “I like water as much as anyone else!” Tamara’s older sister, wearing a silver dress and sandals, had come up behind them. Holding her hand was Alex Strike, who was heading into his fourth year at the Magisterium and was Master Rufus’s frequent assistant. He was dressed down in jeans and a T-shirt, with a bronze band at his wrist, since he hadn’t gotten his silver one yet. He grinned at Call.
    “Hey, squirt,” he said.
    Call smiled a little awkwardly. Alex had always been nice to him, but he hadn’t known Alex was dating Tamara’s older sister. Kimiya was really pretty and popular, and Call always felt