Ari’s POV
Morning came with all the subtlety of a trebuchet to the forehead. My head throbbed in a way that made me question every life choice that had ever led me to this cursed Academy. The sky was pale and yawning, streaked with orange, but I couldn’t summon the energy to appreciate it. Caspian’s bed was empty, which immediately set off a series of catastrophic scenarios in my mind.
Did he run off with the intruders while I was sleeping? Probably not, that would be insane. Did he just leave me here like a common dorm plebe to get breakfast? Very likely. Either way, rude.
I reached over and checked under my pillow where the Stormborne hairpin had been hiding. Still there. Secure. My lifeline, my only evidence that something bigger was going on. I carefully tucked it deeper into the fo
