Ava requested an appointment with the Headmaster. Harper said this was frightening behaviour for a seven-year-old. Ava said appointments existed to be requested.

"What are you asking him?" Jasper said.

"Deepwater."

They were crossing the upper library gallery at the time. Jasper stopped beside the rail.

"Why now?"

Ava held up her notebook. "Because we know enough to misunderstand it." That sounded exactly like Professor Elowen. Thorne agreed to see all three after lunch on Thursday. His office occupied a round room overlooking both the inland grounds and the western sea. Jasper had expected shelves full of mysterious objects. Instead there were books, maps, two badly organised stacks of paperwork and a mug that said WORLD'S LEAST AVAILABLE HEADMASTER. Harper read it aloud. Thorne said, "A gift from staff."

"Accurate?"

"Painfully."

Ava opened the meeting with a list of facts. Deepwater happened twenty-three years ago. A student attempted to influence unusual marine magic. Another student was injured. The lower docks closed for twelve days. Safety rules changed afterward. Some related records involved older Selari material.

"What are we missing?" she asked.

Thorne looked at the three of them for a long moment.

"Context."

"Which is why we're here," Harper said.

Ava closed her eyes briefly. Thorne did not seem offended. "The student involved had an unusual sensitivity to the coastal currents around Tidefall. Not identical to yours, Jasper, but close enough that the comparison matters." Jasper leaned forward.

"Could they communicate?"

"They believed they could."

The wording returned again.

"Did you know them?" Ava asked.

Thorne's gaze moved to the window. That was answer enough before he spoke.

"Yes."

The room became quieter.

"Were you a student?" Jasper asked.

"A young staff member."

"What happened?"

Thorne folded his hands. "They became convinced that sensing intention meant they could direct it. They began testing responses. Small ones first. Timing. Waves. Currents near the harbour." Harper frowned. "And it worked?"

"Sometimes."

That was the dangerous answer.

"Enough to make them believe the failures were their own mistakes," Thorne continued. "During Deepwater, they attempted something larger. The water responded differently from what they expected. Another student was injured."

Jasper felt cold.

"Did they survive?"

Thorne paused.

"Yes."

"Where are they now?"

The pause lasted longer.

"That part is not mine to tell you."

Harper leaned forward. "Why?"

"Because being part of Academy history does not remove someone's right to privacy."

Ava nodded slowly. Jasper understood the answer and hated it anyway. Before they left, Thorne looked directly at him.

"Promise me something. If you ever feel tempted to test whether the thing you sense will obey you, tell an adult first."

Jasper glanced at Harper and Ava.

"And them," Harper said.

"Preferably both," Thorne replied.

Outside the office, Harper put her hand into the middle of the corridor. Ava stared at it. "What are you doing?"

"Promise stack."

"That is not a thing."

Jasper placed his hand on Harper's anyway. Ava sighed and added hers.

"Tell an adult," she said.

"And us," Harper added.

Jasper nodded. "Okay." The appointment was granted for Wednesday after dinner. Thorne's study was less impressive than rumour suggested. No wall of magical weapons. No hidden dragon. Books, maps, desk, two tall windows and a kettle. Harper looked disappointed. Thorne added a third chair.

"One evening they went to the lower docks with another student. They attempted a stronger contact. The sea surged unexpectedly. The second student was thrown against the platform and injured. The first nearly went into the water. Staff intervened."

"This is why I tell you not to test. Not because I think the sea is waiting to attack you. Not because I think you are repeating someone else's life. Because response can become addictive when you do not understand what is responding."

"You ask a question and receive something impossible. Then you want to know if it was real. So you ask again. Then you want to know if you caused it. So you ask for something specific. Eventually you stop listening and start demanding proof."

Harper nodded seriously. The meeting ended twenty minutes later. On the way back, Jasper felt lighter and heavier at once. They knew more. Not a name for whatever waited in the sea. Not a grand explanation. Only a fact: Someone before him had experienced something similar. They had mistaken communication for command. People got hurt. Harper stopped at the residence door. He meant it. That mattered later.