Bella chimed in with a grin. “I’ll make sure he doesn’t forget anything important. People always forget the one thing that matters.”
Twobble puffed out his chest. “I’ll supervise. Someone has to make sure he doesn’t sneak off with anything charmed.”
I stopped short.
“What—” I began, then faltered as I realized Gideon wasn’t objecting.
In fact, he looked… pleased.
There was a lift to his posture, a spark of something almost relieved, as if the decision had been madeforhim and he could finally stop pretending otherwise. His gaze flicked to mine, quick and assessing, as if checking whether I’d noticed.
I had.
“You’re all very efficient,” he said lightly. “I hadn’t realized my departure would be such a group effort.”
Lady Limora waved a hand. “We’re nothing if not hospitable, especially with exits.”
I opened my mouth to rein things back in, but the words never came. Part of me was still reeling from the idea that everyone had so easily slid into agreement, that the room had collectively decidedyes, this is happening, while another part of me felt the weight of inevitability pressing down.
So I walked.
We moved down the corridor together, a strange procession of witches, fae, goblins, and one former shadow-mage who looked far too comfortable with the idea of leaving again. I caught Keegan’s eye as we walked, and something in his expression stiffened, his attention fixed not on Gideon but on the walls themselves.
The Academy’s hum deepened.
The corridor narrowed.
And, without warning, the stone ahead of us shuddered.
I barely had time to register the shift before the wall at the end of the hall slid down from the ceiling with a resonantthud, sealing the passage completely. Ancient runes flared once, vivid and unmistakable, before settling into a dull, relentless glow.
I hopped back instinctively, heart lurching.
“What in the—” Bella started.
Keegan’s jaw clenched as he took a step forward, studying the wall with a shifter’s wary focus.
“The Academy isn’t exactly being subtle.”
“No,” I said faintly. “It rarely is when it feels strongly.”
Gideon stared at the wall, disbelief flashing quickly into irritation. His shoulders squared into that familiar resistance emerging like a reflex.
He didnotlike being blocked.
“You have to be joking,” he said. “Is this some sort of… architectural suggestion?”
The wall didn’t respond, but the hum beneath our feet deepened again, unmistakably smug.
Gideon turned toward me slowly. “Tell me there’s another way out of this area.”
I met his gaze and, despite everything, felt a wry smile curve my mouth.
“Of course there is.”
His brow lifted. “Of course.”
“The Academy always leaves itself options,” I added. “It just prefers people to find them.”
