Labyrinth Arcanist [Blooper Scene]

Hey peeps!

Above is the cover for the sixth and final book of the Astra Academy series! Elder Arcanist - hopefully I can get this out this summer.

And without further ado, here is the blooper scene! I hope you all enjoy, haha

Shami

BLOOPER SCENE

What if Astra Academy Was Written with Gen-Z Slang?

            I stepped off the wooden gangplanks, which were rather basic. Then I glanced up at the Kross compound, with its towering walls and major villain energy. I was shook.

            Unfortunately, this was supposed to be my new home, no cap. That thought hit me harder than a rogue wave. The typhoon dragon statues were based, but that was about it.

            Twain remained perched on my shoulders, vibin’ like he owned the place. Sorin walked down the gangplank, his eldrin lurkin’ like a cryptid in the shadows near his feet. Real casual.

            “This place inspires me,” Sorin said, already slipping into his poetic nonsense. He cleared his throat like he was about to drop some bars. “Beneath the waves, where silence reigns… Typhoon dragons swim watery plains…”

            I had a savage quip locked and loaded for that last line, but before I could fire it off, the Archduke himself stormed down the gangplank like he thought he was the main character. He was an absolute unit if he didn’t speak, but the moment he opened his mouth it was nothing but red flags.

            “Was that poetry?” the Archduke asked, cutting through Sorin’s soul with his tone alone. “That’s what they’re teaching at the Academy?”

            “Don’t be salty,” I said. My bro’s poetry slapped—why did the Archduke have to harsh Sorin’s buzz?

            Twain rolled his eyes and whispered, “This guy needs to get out and touch grass.”

            The Archduke’s death-ray gaze locked onto me. “You,” he barked. “Come.”

            Daddy Archduke wasn’t really one of my crew, but I had to gaslight him into thinking that he was, so I followed.

            Archduke Kross power-walked down the dock, straight for his dragon-themed lair. I shot Sorin a quick look, and he gave me the universal sibling head-tilt: Bruh, you’re on your own. With a sigh, I followed the Archduke into the belly of the beast.

            The compound? Yeah, it was bougee. Massive fish tanks. Schools of neon-colored fish. Servants fillin’ the halls, carrying lilies and decorating like this was the set of a rom-com wedding montage.

            “You’ve got a nice setup here,” I said, trying to keep it upbeat so that the Archduke didn’t unalive me.

            “Consider it your home, too,” the Archduke replied, but the way he spat the words made it clear he wanted to yeet me out the window.

            Twain leaned closer. “I love this place. That’s my bedroom right there.” He pointed a paw at a tank full of bright orange fish, his eyes gleaming with unhinged delight.

            “Don’t even think about it,” I muttered. “This boomer doesn’t want us gettin’ comfortable.”

            “He thinks you and Ashlyn are just gonna Netflix and Chill, and then you’ll run out of here.”

            That hit different, because I hadn’t thought about things from Daddy Archduke’s viewpoint.

            “I decorated this whole compound like a castle,” Archduke Kross said, glazing himself more than a donut. “That door leads to the kitchen, this one to the main dining room. And here’s our library.”

            This place was lit. There were floor-to-ceiling bookshelves, and a fire couch for reading.

            “You seem pleased,” Archduke Kross said.

            “Nothin’ but green flags here, bestie,” I replied.

            “Good, because you’ll be here whenever you’re not at the Academy. So I can keep an eye on you and my daughter.”

            “Don’t worry, boss. This isn’t a situationship. Ashlyn is a queen and I’m here to watch her slay.”

            “My arcanist is no simp,” Twain interjected. “He’s got rizz and chivalry. I won’t let him be goonin’.”

            Archduke Kross stared at me like I was an ick. Finally, he sighed and said, “I seriously have no idea what any of you kids are saying these days.”

            I felt that.

            IYKYK.