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Rhyven's expression becomes faintly annoyed. "I know."

"Do you?"

"Frequently."

"That's not an answer."

"No." Someone calls his name. He looks toward the sound. Then back at me.

"Training tomorrow."

I blink. "What."

"Six."

I almost laugh. "Tiravell loses a person and you're reminding me about training."

"Especially now." There. Exactly. He leaves.

By midnight, Tiravell has one confirmed disappearance. Elarion has seventeen. Varethia has none since Theryn. Lyssara is on full alert. The remaining kingdoms begin mobilizing border defenses. No one says war publicly. Not yet. But the word exists everywhere anyway.

Response Quarters become operational overnight.

More maps. More relay crystals. More supplies. Temporary sleeping stations for messengers. Chiefs barely return to their rooms. Rhyven doesn't. Neither does Caelen.

I pass operations at one fourteen. Light. Voices. I keep walking. Then stop. Go back. Not because of Rhyven. Mostly. Inside, every Chief is there. Dax at the Tiravell map. Soren reading Elarion reports.

Maelis writing deployment estimates. Caelen sorting ward requests. Rhyven standing at the center. All of them tired. All of them working. No one looks young anymore. That's what frightens me. They are students. Technically. Not tonight.

Rhyven notices me. "What."

I hold up the tray I brought from the kitchenette. Bread. Meat. Fruit. Water. Enough for everyone.

His eyes move to it. Then me. "Eat." I say.

Dax looks up. "She's becoming you."

Rhyven's expression goes flat. "Terrible."

"Agreed." I put the tray down. No one argues. Good. I leave before anyone can thank me. They don't need to. That's not why I did it.

Outside, I lean against the corridor wall. Varethia. Elarion. Tiravell. Next, historically— Lyssara. The route is spreading. The Council still refuses to send the Chiefs. For now. I should be relieved. Part of me is. I hate that. But every new red mark on the map makes the same truth harder to ignore. Eventually, Varethia may have to decide whether keeping its strongest people home protects the kingdom or abandons everyone else. And when that decision comes, I already know whose names will be at the top of the list.

Chapter Fifty-five

The Academy announces examinations at breakfast.

For several seconds, nobody reacts. Not because we don't hear. Because surely... surely we misunderstood. Then Cassian lowers his spoon. "No."

Nyra keeps reading the notice. "Yes."

"No."

"Apparently."

"Tiravell lost someone yesterday."

"Yes."