Barlen stepped inside first, and I followed him slowly while the doors groaned shut behind us. The enormous entrance hall stretched several stories upward with towering archways and silver chandeliers suspended overhead, but that wasn’t what caught my attention.
The ivy climbing the walls earlier had changed.
Tiny green shoots threaded through the black vines now, curling around the stone pillars while soft silver lanterns flickered to life farther down the corridor, one by one.
My shadow mark burned sharply against my skin, and the Academy answered immediately.
A chandelier overhead brightened.
Barlen stopped walking altogether and stared around the hall. “This isn’t possible.”
I glanced toward him. “What?”
“Even when I was here, it never responded like this.”
A strange knot formed in my stomach as I looked around again. The entire place felt different now. Earlier, it felt dormant, almost wounded.
Now there was movement everywhere.
The staircases creaked softly as if adjusting themselves while shadows drifted lazily across the ceiling beams overhead. Lights continued brightening farther down the halls, almost like the Academy was slowly remembering itself piece by piece.
A low rumble rolled through the floor beneath us, and one of the walls lining the entrance hall shifted slightly with a grinding sound before settling again.
Barlen turned slowly in a circle, staring upward. “I’ve never seen it this alive, even when it was open to students.”
His choice of words sent another chill through me.
Alive.
That was exactly how it felt, like Stonewick Academy.
A loud slam hit the doors behind us.
The shadows outside weren’t the same as the ones inside.
Barlen’s expression tightened instantly. “It won’t take long before the Priestess realizes you’re gone.”
“Well, that’s exactly what I didn’t want to hear.”
“She’ll feel the shift here eventually.” He glanced uneasily toward the ceiling. “Maybe she already has.”
The warmth around us pulsed suddenly, and the lanterns brightened another shade as if reacting to his fear.
I slowly turned toward the main staircase where the light spilled across the steps. The Academy seemed almost eager now. Every corner buzzed with anticipation while the magic wrapped around my skin in careful little waves.
The only logical reason was that this place recognized me, and that thought should have comforted me more than it did.
Rather, it terrified me a little.
I stepped farther into the Academy, and another deep rumble rolled through the structure. I watched as dust scattered from the rafters and the floors polished themselves.
Barlen stared openly now. “Maeve…”
“I know.”
“No.” He shook his head slowly. “I really don’t think you do.”
Before I could ask what he meant, the shadows outside slammed violently against the doors again, hard enough to shake the walls. The chandeliers overhead rattled softly while black smoke-like tendrils slipped beneath the crack at the bottom of the entrance.
