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Finally, one of the older students speaks. "Chief..."

Rhyven looks toward him. "Are the other Wings changing their schedules too?"

"I don't know." The answer surprises several students. He continues before anyone can misunderstand. "I lead Sky Wing. My responsibility ends there." Simple. Honest. Entirely in character. He closes the notebook. "Eat. Attend your afternoon lectures. We begin Monday." Then, after the briefest pause— "Don't be late." No threat. No explanation. He simply turns toward the Academy. The meeting is over. Students begin dispersing almost immediately, conversations returning in quieter voices than before. No one sounds annoyed. Only thoughtful.

I wait long enough for the path to begin clearing before turning to leave with the others.

"Vaelith." I stop. Around me, no one else does. The others continue down the trail toward the Academy without a second glance. I turn back. Rhyven is still standing exactly where the meeting ended. The notebook rests beneath one arm. His expression gives nothing away. He's waiting. For me. I draw a slow breath. Then walk back across the clearing. By the time I reach him, the clearing is almost empty. The last few members of Sky Wing disappear down the trail toward the Academy, their voices fading beneath the wind. For several seconds, neither of us speaks. Rhyven watches until the final student vanishes beyond the trees. Only then does he look at me. "You've eaten?" The question catches me off guard. "Yes?"

He studies my face for a moment, as though deciding whether he believes me. Apparently, he does. "Good." I wait. He doesn't continue immediately. He never seems to rush his words. "Professor Neris informed me the Silent Archive recognizes only scheduled access."

"I know."

"Our window begins at twenty-one hundred." He reaches into the inside pocket of his training jacket and removes the black key. Even in daylight, it seems to absorb the light around it. The runes carved along its shaft remain dark. Dormant. He slips it back into his pocket before anyone passing on the lower trail might notice. "West Tower." He says. "Service entrance."

"I know where the tower is." I answer.

"The service entrance isn't marked." Of course it isn't. "Meet me there."

"What time?"

"Twenty-forty-five."

"Early?"

"I don't like rushing." That sounds exactly like him. I nod once.

"I'll be there." He turns as though to leave. Something stops me. "Rhyven." He looks back rapidly. I rarely use his first name. Usually it's Chief. Or Corvell. His expression doesn't change. "What if we find something?" The question has been sitting in the back of my mind since Professor Neris placed the key on her desk. Not if we get caught. Not if we're wrong. If we're right. Rhyven is quiet for a long moment. Finally— "We read."

"That's all?" I cross my arms.

"For tonight."

"I thought we were investigating."

"We are."

"Then why wouldn't we—" I start.

"Because." He interrupts gently. "We don't know what we're looking for yet." The frustration must show on my face. He notices. "We're not hunting answers." He says. "We're learning how to ask better questions." The words settle somewhere deep inside me. Professor Aldren would have liked that answer.

"I've been thinking." I admit.

"Dangerous."

"I walked into that."

"You did." A tiny silence follows. Not awkward. Just lighter. For a heartbeat. Then it's gone again. "I keep wondering why Professor Neris involved us." I say. "There are professors. The Council. The Headmaster. People far more qualified." Rhyven doesn't answer immediately. Instead, he starts walking slowly toward the path leading back to the Academy. I fall into step beside him.

"Qualifications aren't always the same thing as perspective." He says.

"She told us that."

"I know."

"But why us?"

He glances at me. "You saw something no one else did."