The lodges emptied all at once.
Doors opened along hundreds of corridors while elevators filled faster than they could descend.
Awakeners, Kingdom Rangers, and Extinguishers came out in their unique gear. Tutors and trainers followed behind them.
By the time Lancet stepped outside with Tavrik and Selli Vane, the center of the residential district had become a river of people.
Boots were everywhere and conversations crossed over one another until individual voices became impossible to separate. Orders from prefects rose above the noise whenever someone blocked a walkway, and glowing arrows appeared along the ground to mark the approved routes toward the War Tower.
Lancet slowed near the courtyard steps. "This many people are part of Operation Citadel?"
Tavrik looked around as though the crowd were perfectly ordinary. "This isn't even everybody."
