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"Why?" I ask.

"You looked ready to leave after ten minutes." He answers.

"I was assessing."

"Father's daughter."

The words change something between us. Only slightly. Caelen notices. His expression softens. "Sorry." He says.

"It's fine." I look down at my drink.

"No." He leans against the wall beside me. "It isn't."

For a moment, we watch the dancers. No need to discuss our father here. Rule three. No Family titles. Perhaps that also means no Family burdens.

Caelen nudges my shoulder. "You belong here."

"At the Academy?" I ask.

"At this table. With them. With us."

I follow his gaze. Nyra laughing with Rowan. Cassian arguing with Soren. Dax stealing food from Rhyven's plate and nearly losing a hand. Warmth settles inside me. "I think I do."

We leave before sunrise. Not because the night ends. Because students begin cleaning. Rule four. Even Rhyven carries broken chairs toward a storage room under Bram's supervision.

"One," Rhyven says.

"Two," Bram replies.

"This one wasn't mine."

"You were nearby."

"That isn't evidence."

Bram shrugs. "It's enough."

The bookshelf closes behind us as the first pale light appears over the village rooftops. Students spill into the streets in smaller groups. Tired. Laughing. Carrying secrets.

The mountain air feels colder after the heat underground. Nyra walks ahead with Rowan and Aricia. Cassian remains behind to help a second-year whose ankle was injured in the pit. Caelen and Dax argue about whether anyone will notice if they miss morning drills. Rhyven walks alone several paces ahead. Then stops. Abruptly. I nearly collide with him.

"What?"

He looks toward the road leading beyond the village. Toward the eastern forest. The last traces of amusement leave his face. His golden eyes narrow. I follow his gaze. Trees. Mist. Nothing else.

"What is it?"

He remains silent for several seconds. Listening. Then he shakes his head. "Nothing."

This time, he does not sound sarcastic. He sounds uncertain. Rhyven continues walking. The others do not notice. I look back once. The forest remains perfectly still beneath the approaching dawn. Whatever caught his attention is gone. Or perhaps it was never there.

I turn toward the Academy. Music still echoes faintly beneath the shop behind us. Ahead, the towers rise against the brightening sky. For one night, we were not heirs. Not officers. Not representatives of ancient bloodlines. We were students. Friends, perhaps. Something close enough to become dangerous. And as I climb the mountain road beside people I did not know a week ago, I understand why invitations to the Place are earned. Not because it is secret. Because belonging is.

Chapter Nine

The Academy knows. It has to. There is no other explanation for Professor Neris beginning class with a practical assessment at eight in the morning. She stands before the Inheritance studies classroom looking exactly as she did yesterday. Rested. Composed. Entirely unaffected by the fact that half her students returned to the Academy less than two hours ago.

The first-years look considerably worse. Nyra has copied the date twice at the top of her page and does not seem to have noticed. Cassian appears perfectly presentable until I glance toward his notes and realize he has written the same sentence three times. Selena looks normal. I have decided not to trust her. I sit beside Nyra and place my books on the table.