Aria's POV
Sunday morning arrived with the kind of crisp autumn air that would have been perfect for training exercises if I hadn't been too nervous to leave my room. The investigation had been hanging over me for a week, and with trials starting tomorrow, I needed to know whether I'd be participating or packing.
The answer came at precisely 10 AM.
"Heir Ari," Commander Hayes said, knocking on our door, "you're requested in Conference Room Five. Immediately."
My stomach dropped to somewhere around my ankles. Caspian looked up from his trial preparation notes, his expression carefully neutral.
"Investigation results?" I asked.
"That would be my assumption."
I followed Hayes through corridors that seemed longer than usual, past students engaged in last-minute training sessions and str
