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He shrugs. "I would've won."

I stare. Rhyven's expression remains completely serious. Then one corner of his mouth moves. Barely. I cannot tell whether he is joking. With him, that may be the point. "He's hurt," I say.

He collects the loose reports from his desk. "You made the best decision you could with what you knew."

I look down. "And if it was the wrong one?"

"Then you live with the consequence." Dominion again. Choice. Consequence. No decision without both. Rhyven places the papers into a locked drawer. "He'll forgive you."

"You sound certain."

"He's Caelen." As though that explains everything. Maybe it does.I rise and move toward the door. Before I reach it, Rhyven speaks again. "Eirea." I look back. He rarely uses my first name. The sound of it in his voice changes the room. "You decide what the Council learns about Blood Echo." The certainty in his expression leaves no room for misunderstanding. "Not Neris. Not your father. Not me." The words settle somewhere deep inside me. Professor Neris called me useful. Father would call me valuable. Rhyven calls the choice mine.

"Thank you."

He looks almost uncomfortable with the gratitude. "Go sleep."

"That sounded like an order."

"It was."

There he is. I open the door. "Good night, Chief."

"Vaelith."

I step into the corridor. The wards hum beneath my feet. Still steady. Still strong. But now Caelen knows to listen too. Tomorrow, the other Chiefs will learn enough to prepare. The circle of people carrying the truth is growing. So is the danger. For the first time, those two things feel connected.

Chapter Twenty-three

By the following morning something has changed. Not dramatically. Not enough for first-years to notice. But once you've spent weeks watching the Academy as closely as I have the smallest changes become impossible to ignore. The dining hall is louder than usual. Not because people are happier. Because everyone is trying to understand why their schedules have changed overnight. Rumours. Nothing more. Students complain. Professors continue eating as though nothing unusual has happened. Only they aren't. Professor Elian is speaking quietly with Professor Aldren. Professor Vayne arrives nearly fifteen minutes earlier than normal. Two ward keepers stand beside the faculty entrance instead of one. Everything looks ordinary. Until you know where to look. Nyra slides into the seat across from me carrying two steaming mugs. "I stole your tea." "You asked the kitchen staff."

"I asked very convincingly." She hands me one of the mugs. I wrap both hands around the warmth. "Thank you." Cassian joins us a moment later. He barely sits before glancing toward the training fields outside. "They're starting early."

Nyra follows his gaze. "Who?"

"Ash Wing."

"They're always training."

"Not like this." He answers quietly. I remain silent. Because he's right.

Halfway through breakfast the doors open. Every conversation near the entrance softens. Not stops. Softens. Rhyven walks in beside Caelen. Neither speaks. Neither looks toward our table. Yet something feels different. They're walking together. Not unusual. But closer. Not physically. Purposefully. Like two people who spent half the night reaching an understanding they never wanted to have. Caelen says something. Rhyven answers with a single sentence. Caelen rolls his eyes. Rhyven keeps walking. I smile despite myself. Nyra notices. "What?" I ask.

"Nothing." She narrows her eyes suspiciously. "You smiled."

"I did."

"At Corvell."

"I smiled because Caelen looked annoyed." I correct her.

"Hm."

Our first lecture barely lasts thirty minutes before Professor Aldren closes his notes. "There has been a minor adjustment to practical instruction." Immediately every student begins whispering. Professor Aldren waits. Patiently. Eventually, silence returns. "Beginning today..." He continues. "All combat-related courses will receive additional instruction."

A hand rises. "For how long?"

"As long as necessary."