Wednesday dawned without classes, but was filled with the simmering anticipation that clung to the air like static. The campus of Lunebrook felt quieter than usual, corridors emptied of chatter, the morning hum replaced by the low thrum of focus and nerves.
Year Two's were excused from everything but preparation. For Bri, that meant two simulations: the Gauntlet and the Concordance Trial.
The Gauntlet team—Soriah, Sera, Bri, and Ash—had spent every spare hour since their last evaluation trying to fix what Professor Thale had exposed. The sting of that critique still lingered: reacting instead of leading, fighting instead of adapting.
But instead of unity, something taut had begun to coil between Soriah and Sera. They’d started to talk past each other; Soriah over-strategizing, Sera pus
