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With that, the class broke into frenzied conversation, everyone heading toward the stairs. I remained rooted in place until Emelle came up from behind me, looping her arm through mine.

“Ready, Rayna?”

“Y-yes.” I blinked. “Yes.”

“One moment, Ms. Drey. I’d like to have a word.”

We turned to face Ms. Pincette, still standing in the corner of the patio by a stone column wrapped in vines. With a nod at Emelle, who hurried off, I meandered over to the Spiders, Worms, & Insects instructor, shame already flooding my cheeks.

Thankfully, Rodhi appeared at my side before she could scold me.

“What was that?” he asked.

Ms. Pincette flicked away a speck of dust on her blouse. “What was what, Mr. Lockett?”

Rodhi crossed his arms and leaned against the stone column. “You made everyone face a giant centipede except for me.”

Ms. Pincette kept a perfectly neutral expression. “Well, Mr. Lockett, from what I heard, you were able to contain the rogue one the other day using spiders just fine, so there was no need for you to participate today.”

Rodhi cocked his eyebrows at her, and she stared right back. For a moment, a silent war seemed to blaze between them, and I bit my lip.

Should I back away to give them some privacy or something? I had to hand it to Rodhi, I’d never seen anyone refuse to balk in the face of a glower that fierce. But I also had to hand it to Ms. Pincette, most women—and men—would flush under the weight of that undivided attention he was drilling into her, instructor or not.

At last, Ms. Pincette threw up her free hand with an exasperated sigh.

“Fine, Mr. Locket.” She lowered her voice to a hissing whisper. “To be frank, the idea that we as Wild Whisperers can be friends with every single living creature on this island is endearing, but unrealistic. Everyone is fighting. Everything is at war. We have to choose our allies carefully, and you have obviously demonstrated that you are… proficient at commanding spiders.” She sniffed, and Rodhi’s mouth twisted into a smug smile. “Therefore, I cannot allow you to fraternize with one of their greatest enemies. Therefore, you did not need to participate today.”

“Oh, so you were worried about me?”

“What?” Slowly but surely, Ms. Pincette’s neutral expression was melting into a proper scowl. “No. Now can you take this back to my classroom, please, so that I can talk to your classmate as intended? Alone.”

She thrust the tank into Rodhi’s arms, and he accepted it with a self-satisfied press of his mouth, a wicked glint in his eyes when he turned to wink at me.

“See you at dinner, darling.”

“Bye, Rodhi,” I muttered. Then turned back to Ms. Pincette with a grimace.

When it was truly just the two of us on the patio, only the trilling kingfishers hopping on nearby rooftops to break the silence, Ms. Pincette mimicked Rodhi’s earlier question. “What was that?”

“What was what, Ms. Pincette?” I asked, deciding to feign ignorance.

Her eyes sharpened, dissecting every emotion I tried to wipe off my face. “During your first year here at the Esholian Institute, you were truly abysmal at communicating with insects. During your second year, you improved drastically. But now, it seems you have decided to give up.”

I shook my head. “I haven’t given up.”

“Well, it sure looked like it. You didn’t even try to talk your centipede down. It told you that you looked tasty and you merely closed your eyes! If Mr. Flinch hadn’t been here…”

“…then the centipede wouldn’t have been dangerous to begin with,” I finished—and immediately regretted it when Ms. Pincette’s eyes flashed dangerously. Now that I’d let it out, however, I couldn’t help my next question from spilling out, too. “Was it you who arranged for that giant centipede to go on a rampage before the Branding, then? To test us?”

Heat flickered in my blood. Someone had almost died. Weren’t we supposed to leave the deadly trials for the classrooms and Testing Center?

Confusion passed over Ms. Pincette’s face before she schooled her features again. Glancing skyward, she appeared to observe the layer of clouds basking over us.

“I don’t know who enlarged that centipede before the Branding, Ms. Drey, but I can assure you, it will be the first of many magical ailments that shake this island in the months to come. Best be prepared for when they come.”

She fished a small corked bottle from her pocket and flashed it in front of me. An antidote, I realized. An antidote to centipede venom.

Guilt flooded me. She would have never let a student die under her watch, and I should’ve never accused her of trying to get us killed. “I’m sorry,” I said quietly.