SAGE POV.
We stood in a long, uneven line in the courtyard, the early morning chill making my damp tunic cling to my spine. All around me, the new recruits shifted uncomfortably, boots scraping on gravel. Some cracked their knuckles or rolled their shoulders, preparing for whatever ordeal the academy had devised for us next.
My stomach churned.
Master Aldric stood in front of us like a granite statue, arms folded across his chest. Beside him, Matron Ada watched with that hawk-like stare that missed nothing. And in the center of them both, Headmaster Gideon stood straight-backed, his fine coat buttoned to the neck, a small, unreadable smile on his lips.
No one spoke.
Then Master Aldric took a step forward, and his voice boomed over the courtyard in that deep, guttural way of his, like
