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I disrupt the arm. His fingers loosen. Knee. Blade. Down. His eyes flash from white to brown. He looks terrified. Then nothing. I killed someone who might have still been in there. Again. Later. If later exists.

"Eirea!" Nyra points. More. Always more.

We retreat. Not run. Controlled. Mostly.

The inner ward markers flash red. One. Two. Then all of them. A horrible sinking feeling moves through my body. "No."

The wards aren't closed. They're weakening. Whatever opened them is still doing something.

Headmaster's voice reaches us through an amplified command crystal. "ALL RESPONSE UNITS TO INNER DEFENSE." Finally.

We run.

The next hour doesn't exist properly in my memory.

Pieces. Only pieces. A sword breaking in my hand.

Cassian dragging a student by the back of his coat while swearing at him to stay conscious.

Nyra with blood covering one side of her face and no idea where it came from.

A Hollowborn hitting a ward so hard the fae holding it vomits and keeps holding.

Professor Vayne fighting with a broken wrist.

My father killing a controlled soldier and not looking at the face afterward.

A first-year screaming because her manifestation won't work. Me telling her: "Then use something else." Her picking up a sword. Good.

Theryn crossing overhead. White eyes. Pale magic pouring from her mouth. Two dragons attacking from opposite sides. Neither able to bring themselves to go for the throat. They know her too. That is the problem.

"THEY'RE HESITATING!" Professor Kaelis screams. No shit. Theryn bites into one dragon's wing. The sound— No. Don't. The injured dragon drops. His Rider falls separately. I don't see where either lands.

Keep moving.

At some point, my dominant dagger disappears.

No idea where. I reach automatically. Empty sheath.

Fine. Left dagger. Training. Again. Everything tonight is training with blood added.

We reach the eastern lower corridor. Three Hollowborn. Five of us. Good odds. Until a fourth drops from above. "Cassian, left!" He moves. Nyra takes right. I go center.

The first man attacks with stolen fire magic. I duck. Heat catches my hair. Burning smell. Probably mine.

Fine. I close distance before he casts again. Rhyven's training. Magic users need room. Take it. Elbow. Knife. Blood.

The second grabs Nyra. She screams. I turn. Wrong.

The third hits me. Pain explodes across my ribs. I hit wall. Can't breathe.

Get up.

I don't.

For one second.

Too long.