In Her Majesty's Service. Empire's of Brass and Ley, #2

Ned Vale has survived his first year at Avalon, but belonging to the Academy is only the beginning. In his second year, Crown Practicals open doors into the wider Empire: sky-docks, signal towers, naval yards, route offices, workshops, wards, and the dangerous machinery behind imperial service. As Ned and his friends learn how records, permissions, class, tools, and trust really work, the shadow of Saffron Pass grows sharper.
Someone is probing the Empire's ordinary systems, and Ned is learning that being useful to the Crown can be both protection and a claim. A steampunk magical academy adventure of brass, ley-crystal, friendship, sabotage, class pressure, and the cost of being noticed.