“It’s the Academy,” I told him. “It’s fully awake now.”
Twobble stared, and a fresh rumble surged again. It was a little sharper, and this time he fell sideways, grabbing the edge of my desk to steady himself.
“Fully awake,” he repeated, very slowly. “As in…awakeawake.”
“As in, done pretending it’s dormant.”
For one impossible moment, Twobble looked delighted, but then he looked terrified.
“Oh no,” he whispered. “Oh no, no, no. That means it canmove things.”
“It already knew how to move hallways and stairs. What do you mean?”
Another grinding sound answered him from somewhere beneath us, almost as if the Academy had heard him and taken it personally.
Twobble’s eyes widened further. “Do you really have to ask?”
The door to my office flew open hard enough to slam against the wall, making both of us jump.
Thankfully, Nova burst in like a storm with dark, wild hair, cheeks flushed, and green eyes blazing.
“Maeve!” she shouted over the continuing rumble. “Did you feel that?”
I stared at her for half a beat and laughed because my nervous system couldn’t react appropriately when exhausted.
“I don’t think anyone can miss it,” I said.
“It’s awake,” she said, quieter now and stepping into the office.
I nodded as the rumble eased as if it was done sounding the alarm.
“The Academy has never been this strong,” she announced.
“How do you know?”
She stared at me with an incredulous expression. “I’m half elven.”
“Right.”
“Why is that scary?” Twobble asked. He hopped up onto my desk and sat down, scowling. “Awake sounds like a good thing.”
“It also means it can be seen,” Nova said quietly.
Twobble’s mouth snapped shut.
Nova didn’t look at him. Her attention stayed on me.
“It’s stronger than it’s been in a very long time,” she continued, speaking slowly now. “That’s good in many ways. But power like that doesn’t stay hidden. Once it starts moving again, people notice.”
My pulse picked up.
“No pressure,” I muttered.
One corner of Nova’s mouth moved, though it didn’t quite become a smile.
“The Priestess will notice,” she said. “If she hasn’t already.”
The words settled heavily in my stomach.
