Chapter 13: The Council's Gambit

"We have a situation," Caspian announced, bursting into my dorm room at an hour that could generously be called "pre-dawn."

I looked up from my mother's journal, which I'd been studying since my inability to sleep had driven me to research at 3 AM. "When don't we?"

"This is different." His usually perfect hair was disheveled, and his eyes held actual constellations of worry. "The Council's Inner Circle is coming. All of them."

That got my attention. The Inner Circle consisted of the seven most powerful mages in the known world—people so important they usually only dealt with global magical catastrophes.

Maya sat up in her bed, her hair a nest of potion-stained curls. "Please tell me this isn't about the small dimensional tear Twinkle accidentally created in the cafeteria."

NOT ACCIDENT, Twinkle protested from their favorite spot near my desk. SCIENTIFIC INQUIRY INTO FOOD STORAGE METHODS.

"It's worse," Caspian said. "They're coming about the Stellar Integration Project. Apparently, some members think we're being too... progressive in our rehabilitation methods."

I groaned. "Is this about Maya's stellar-enhanced growth potion?"

"In my defense," Maya said quickly, "nobody could have predicted that the library plants would gain sentience AND a taste for advanced theoretical texts."

PLANTS HAVE GOOD TASTE, Twinkle observed. QUANTUM MECHANICS FASCINATING.

"It's about everything," Caspian continued. "The Inner Circle thinks we're moving too fast, taking too many risks. They want to..." He hesitated.

"Want to what?"

"They want to reinstate the old barriers. All of them. Including the ones that would send our stellar refugees back to the Void."

The temperature in the room dropped several degrees. The Crown flared with a mixture of anger and protective energy.

NO RETURN, Twinkle said, their light flickering with fear. NO MORE DARKNESS.

"That's not happening," I said firmly, standing up. "Where's my mother? She'll know how to handle the politics of this."

"Emergency meeting with Vale and Professor Roth. Aurora's monitoring the new arrivals in the rehabilitation center. And..." Caspian checked his watch, "The Inner Circle arrives in three hours."

Maya was already pulling potions from her trunk. "I'll get the stabilizing formulas ready. If we can demonstrate controlled stellar integration—"

A knock at the door cut her off. We all froze.

"Miss Nightshade?" An unfamiliar voice called. "This is Archmagus Blackthorne of the Inner Circle. We're ahead of schedule and would appreciate a moment of your time."

Caspian mouthed 'Blackthorne?' with an expression of absolute horror. Apparently, this particular Council member was even more important than we'd thought.

HIDE ME? Twinkle suggested, shrinking to the size of a marble.

"No," I decided. "No more hiding." I straightened my uniform, feeling the Crown's power settle around me like armor. "Maya, get your documentation. Caspian, alert the others. Twinkle... maybe don't mention the cafeteria incident."

UNDERSTOOD. WILL DISCUSS QUANTUM PHYSICS INSTEAD.

I opened the door to find myself face to face with a woman who looked like she'd stepped out of a historical painting of ancient mages. Silver hair, piercing eyes, and an aura of power that made the air crackle.

"Archmagus," I said, bowing slightly. "We weren't expecting you so..." I checked my watch, "...two hours and fifty-seven minutes early."

"Clearly," she said, taking in Maya's potion-stained pajamas and Caspian's unusually rumpled appearance. Her eyes fixed on Twinkle, who was attempting to look scholarly by forming themselves into the shape of a small telescope.

GREETINGS, ANCIENT ONE, they projected. WOULD YOU LIKE TO DISCUSS SCHRODINGER'S CAT?

To everyone's surprise, Archmagus Blackthorne laughed.

"Well," she said, "Aurora was right. This is nothing like the reports suggested."

"Aurora?" I blinked. "You know my mother?"

"Of course. I was her mentor, before..." She waved her hand vaguely, "all this. She contacted me last night. Said something about needing an ally in the Inner Circle who actually understood stellar physics."

Hope bloomed in my chest. "So you're not here to reinstate the barriers?"

"My dear, I'm here to make sure they don't. The old ways failed us once. It's time for something new." She peered at Maya's workstation with interest. "Is that a stellar-enhanced growth formula? Fascinating approach to molecular stabilization."

Maya beamed. "Would you like to see my notes on quantum resonance in stellar matter?"

"Perhaps after we deal with my more... conservative colleagues." Blackthorne's expression turned serious. "They'll be here soon, and they're bringing something dangerous. A device they think can force the stellar entities back into the Void."

NO, Twinkle said firmly. BAD SCIENCE. UNETHICAL PRACTICE.

"Precisely," Blackthorne agreed. "Which is why we need to prove, beyond any doubt, that rehabilitation is not only possible but preferable. Miss Chen, your research will be crucial. Mr. Blackwood, your observations as well. And Lyra..."

"Yes?"

"The Crown chose well." She smiled. "Now, shall we prepare to revolutionize stellar magic theory and possibly upset several centuries of magical political structure?"

CHAOS AND SCIENCE, Twinkle approved. OPTIMAL COMBINATION.

Looking at our unlikely alliance—a revolutionary Archmagus, a potion prodigy, a stellar researcher, a reformed star, and whatever I was becoming—I felt the Crown pulse with something like hope.

"Let's show them what the next generation of stellar magic looks like," I said.

Maya grabbed her research notes. Caspian started sending messages to the others. And Twinkle, in their excitement, accidentally turned into a perfect molecular diagram of stellar energy conversion.

The sun wasn't up yet, but the stars were watching. And this time, they were on our side.