I left the banquet hall and stepped outside. Most of the students had already moved toward the eastern bridges and the courtyard to set up defenses. The lower-ranks students were being led to the shelters by the teachers.
Helene stood near the archway, her face serious as she gave orders to the guards.
She wasn't leaving the Academy. Since the headmaster was gone, she was in charge of holding the Academy's defenses and directing the evacuation from inside. She couldn't go to the front lines even if she wanted to.
"The VIP guests from the second hall are already at the Central Shelter," Helene had told me moments before, looking at the reports in her hand. "Your family are in Room 4B in the eastern wing. Go if you have to, Leo, but don't stay long. The rifts near the valley are getting worse."
I didn't waste time replying. I turned and moved.
_
