Trick & Trial. Nightshade Conservatory, #0.5

Shadows whisper, mirrors lie, and Rumpelstiltskin's trials demand more than courage. Will Cassia's choices lead to triumph or ruin?Cassia Silverstream has always felt the weight of expectation. As the daughter of a prestigious family and a natural leader, she's determined to prove she belongs at Nightshade Conservatory, the university for magic's elite. But when she and her team are thrust into a high-stakes competition, the price of failure becomes all too real.
To claim the Heart of Erebus, an ancient artefact of unimaginable power, Cassia must guide her group through deadly trials orchestrated by the cunning trickster, Rumpelstiltskin, designed to test their courage, loyalty, and resolve. As doubts about her leadership simmer and the artefact's seductive power tempts her with promises of strength and certainty, Cassia faces her greatest challenge yet: confronting the person she fears she could become.
Can Cassia hold her team together, resist the allure of ultimate power, and prove to herself she's the leader they need? Or will the trials expose her deepest flaws-and cost them everything?Perfect for fans of found family, morally complex characters, and spellbinding fantasy worlds. The Breakfast Club meets The Magicians, Trick & Trial is a spellbinding tale of power, friendship, and the choices that define us.