"Not all enemies show their teeth; some smile in your face."
The Academy's stone walls felt colder than usual the next morning, their ancient surfaces seeming to leech warmth from the very air. Frost clung to the mullioned windows like delicate lace, and my breath misted as I hurried through corridors lit by flickering oil lamps in iron sconces.
Or maybe the chill came from within me, still caught between the memory of Darius's burning question and the way Gideon's cruel smirk had sliced through the midnight air like a blade. Either way, unease followed me down the flagstone corridor like a shadow I couldn't shake, no matter how quickly I walked or how many corners I turned.
Students moved past me wrapped in thick wool cloaks and fur-lined mantles, their conversations creating clouds of
