As the darkness before dawn reached its deepest pitch, the River Thames suddenly rippled with emerald light. Thirty Venetian ships flying the flags of the International Confederation of Wizards broke through the water. Their figureheads spewed the magical totems of various nations—the lightning wings of the American Thunderbird, the mercury runes of French alchemists, and the paper shikigami talismans of Japanese Onmyoji—weaving a torrent of light across the river surface.
At the bow of the lead vessel stood the Headmistress of Ilvermorny, wrapped in a Peruvian viperdog cloak. The lightning-wood wand in her hand was transforming the wreckage of Tower Bridge into a mobile fortress.
"Excuse me, make way, Tom."
Chapter 246