The passage exhaled cold air against Serena's face, and for one reckless heartbeat, she almost stepped into the dark alone.
Then sense caught up with her. Whatever waited beneath this tower had survived centuries of secrecy—it could survive one more hour while she wasn't stupid enough to go in without backup.
She eased the mural's broken halves shut as best she could and slipped to the door, praying the bolt Mira had used to sneak in hadn't been resealed. It hadn't. Serena crept through the sleeping corridors, every shadow making her pulse spike, until she reached Mira's dorm and rapped three soft knocks against the frame.
Mira opened the door already half-dressed, hair a wild halo, blinking sleep from her eyes. "Serena? What—it's the middle of the—"
"I found something." Serena's voice
