Page 334 of The Academy of Blood & Shadow

"You have no idea."

Packing takes fourteen minutes. Clothes. Uniforms.

Books. Weapons. Blood Echo materials I am legally permitted to keep. Three unfinished assignments. My dragon-protocol notes. The blanket from Archive weekend. I stop with it in my hands. Oh. No. Nyra.

Rhyven. Blanket. I stare at the fabric. This was entirely ordinary a couple days ago. Now it feels like evidence. I hate that. I fold it aggressively and shove it into the bottom of my bag. Problem solved. Obviously.

Response Quarters are worse in daylight. Not physically. The rooms are actually nice. That is the problem. North Residence used to house fourth-years and graduate apprentices, which means someone made the deeply unfair decision that older students deserve bigger windows and better furniture.

The third floor has one long central corridor. Rooms on either side. Command stairwell at the eastern end.

A small common room near the center. Shared washrooms. A kitchenette. Direct access to the lower operations hall. A training room. Efficient. Secure. Perfect. Horrible.

Nyra is already standing inside Room Three-Zero-Four when I arrive. Her side is unpacked. Completely. Books arranged. Clothes put away. Bed made. A small plant has somehow appeared on the windowsill. I drop my bags. "You've been here ten minutes."

"Twelve."

"Where did the plant come from?"

"My old room."

"You moved a plant before your clothes?"

"It gets stressed."

I stare. "The plant."

"Yes."

"Not you."

"No." I decide not to ask.

Our room has two beds separated by a narrow table.

Two desks beneath the windows. Two wardrobes. One door. And directly across the corridor— Room Three-Zero-Five. The door is open. Caelen is inside. Unfortunately so is Rhyven. He is standing beside the far bed, unpacking absolutely nothing. One travel bag rests on the mattress. That's it. I stare. Nyra follows my gaze. "Subtle."

"Shut up."