The Headmaster's Hollow Crown

Sable Vane was sent to Hollowmoor because she killed a man. She didn't, but the family with the money said she did, and Hollowmoor takes the students nobody else will. Two weeks in, she's selected for the Crown Program — five students, one year, a room of her own and private tutors. She says yes before she thinks it through. Her tutors are the three everyone at Hollowmoor talks about: Marlow, who runs the school's discipline without ever raising his voice; Idris, the only teacher under thirty; and Cael, who isn't staff at all, and only appears after dark. By her fourth month, Sable is waking in the undercroft with mud on her boots and no memory of getting there. The Crown Program is not a reward. It's a lock, and she's the newest anchor. Marlow has known for years. Idris has been reporting on it. Cael has been trying to break it from the inside. The three of them will end the spell this year — and Sable will be the one holding the knife.