Azpen stepped close, his voice low but iron steady.
“Go to your room. Wait for me—and Baron. No one will disturb you while we breathe.”
The words clung to her like an oath, fierce as steel. Before she could answer, he strode off, pulling the last of the shaken boys with him.
Elowyn was still catching her breath, the acid’s smell still lingering in the air, when footsteps came again—lighter, quicker. Riven walked out from the shadows of the corridor, almost breathless.
He held something in his hand. A gold-strapped wristwatch, faintly scratched, the face gleaming in the morning light.
“I know I’m late,” he said, shoving it toward her before she could speak. “Your birthday’s past, and I didn’t even know the date until I saw the roster in the instructor’s files. But… you should have it.”
