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"Your jacket."

"I can—"

"Hold still." Surprisingly he does.

I fix the fastening. Straighten the leather. My fingers work quickly. Nothing unusual. Nothing important. Just a buckle. There. "Done."

Rhyven looks down. Then at me. "Thanks."

"Welcome." Caelen is watching. Not me. The corridor. Good. "Go." I tell them. Caelen touches the top of my head as he passes. I slap his hand away. "Don't."

He smiles. "Morning."

"You're disgusting."

Rhyven follows. He gets three steps away. Then turns.

"Six."

I blink. "What?"

"Your training." Of course.

"You're being summoned by the Council and you're worried I'll skip training?"

"Yes."

"I hate you."

"No, you don't." Then he leaves. Asshole.

I stand in the doorway long after they disappear down the stairs. Nyra speaks behind me. "They're deploying them."

I don't turn. "We don't know that."

"No." We don't.

I close the door.

Training begins at six. Without Chiefs. That's new.

Mara runs Sky Wing. Exactly like we practiced. Nobody comments on it. That is somehow worse.

First-Year Response reports to me at six forty. Seventeen students. Lena arrives early. Toren forgets his secondary weapon. Mira is complaining about breakfast. Joss has somehow injured his thumb before training begins. Normal. Good. "Pairs." I call.

They move. Faster than last week. Good. "Secondary rally." They move. "Western corridor inaccessible." They adjust. "Communication down." Runners separate. "Dragon warning north." Exposed teams move inward. Good. Again. I don't look toward the Academy doors. Not once. Maybe twice. Fine.

At seven thirty, Mara walks past. "Still in Council."

I didn't ask. "Okay." She looks at me. I look at the students. "Again." She leaves.

At eight fifteen, breakfast. No Chiefs. Their table is empty. Every third-year seat is empty too. Fourth-year section— empty. The dining hall notices. Of course.

Cassian sits across from me. "How long can a meeting possibly take?"

"You've met the Council." Nyra answers.

"Fair."