Kaelen's face drained of what little happiness had returned to it.
Anna pressed her lips together.
Lara continued, apparently unable to stop herself now.
"I mean, technically the Obsidian Circle isn't part of our normal academy schedule."
"Lara."
"And Kael did say membership carries responsibilities beyond regular classes."
"Lara."
"And senior members probably don't just stop training because—"
"LARA."
She stopped.
Kaelen pointed firmly down the corridor.
"We are leaving."
"But—"
"No."
He started walking.
Faster now.
"We are going back to our dorms."
Anna hurried after him, laughing.
Lara followed.
"We have to pack anyway."
"Exactly."
Kaelen's pace increased.
"We pack."
"We leave."
"And if Kael Draven realizes he forgot to tell us about some secret spring recess training program—"
He glanced over his shoulder toward the hidden doors.
"—then he can discover that mistake after I am safely several hundred miles away."
Anna laughed.
"I don't think that's how membership works."
"It is now."
Lara grinned.
The three reached the main stairwell a few minutes later, where they finally split off.
Kaelen stopped at the landing leading toward the boys' dormitories.
He pointed at Anna and Lara.
"One hour."
Lara raised an eyebrow.
"For what?"
"To pack and escape."
Anna laughed. "Escape?"
"Yes. Escape." Kaelen glanced suspiciously back the way they had come. "Every minute we remain on academy grounds is another minute Kael has to remember we exist."
Lara folded her arms.
"You do realize we're coming back in four weeks."
"That is a problem for future Kaelen."
He turned toward his corridor.
"Current Kaelen is going home."
Anna shook her head, smiling.
"We'll meet you at the pickup area."
"One hour," Kaelen called over his shoulder.
Then—
He disappeared around the corner.
Lara watched him go.
"You think he's actually going to pack?"
Anna considered it.
"No."
Lara nodded.
"Me neither."
They headed in the opposite direction.
The girls' dormitory wing was alive with controlled chaos.
Doors stood open all along the corridor.
Students hurried between rooms carrying bags, trunks, books, familiar cages, and enough clothing to survive several seasons rather than a four-week recess.
Someone farther down the hall shouted—
"HAS ANYONE SEEN MY LEFT BOOT?!"
A voice answered from another room.
"WHY WOULD WE KNOW WHERE YOUR BOOT IS?!"
"I'M ASKING EVERYONE!"
Lara snorted.
"Spring recess."
Anna smiled.
"Spring recess."
Their room came into view.
Lara pushed open the door.
And both girls stopped.
Their room looked exactly as they had left it that morning.
Books on the desks.
Training clothes folded over chairs.
Notes scattered across Anna's side.
Lara's cultivation journal sitting open beside her bed.
Everything waiting.
Lara stared.
Then sighed.
"I suddenly understand why Kaelen wanted an hour."
Anna stepped inside.
"We can do this."
Lara looked at her.
"You're a princess."
Anna blinked.
"What does that have to do with anything?"
"I'm assuming people normally pack for you."
Anna opened her mouth.
Paused.
"…Sometimes."
Lara pointed at her.
"I knew it."
"But I know how to pack."
"Prove it."
Anna narrowed her eyes.
"Oh, it's like that?"
Lara grinned.
"It's like that."
Anna immediately marched toward her wardrobe.
"Fine."
The competition began.
Drawers opened.
Wardrobes swung wide.
Clothes flew.
Books were stacked.
Uniforms were folded with varying degrees of success.
Lara packed with ruthless efficiency.
Everything had a place.
Clothes folded tightly.
Books arranged by size.
Training equipment secured along the bottom of her travel case.
Her remaining tetracrystal carefully tucked into a warded compartment where nothing could damage it.
Anna—
Had a different approach.
She started organized.
For approximately three minutes.
Then she found a book she had forgotten about.
Then another.
Then she couldn't decide whether she needed both.
Then she remembered a dress her mother had given her.
Then she decided she probably didn't need it because she was going to the palace, where she already had dresses.
Then she packed it anyway.
Lara looked over.
Anna was sitting on the floor surrounded by clothes.
"…How's proving yourself going?"
Anna looked up.
"Excellent."
Lara stared at the disaster around her.
"Clearly."
Anna threw a folded pair of stockings at her.
Lara ducked, laughing.
Eventually—
Through determination more than organization—
Anna managed to get everything she wanted into two travel cases.
She sat on the lid of the larger one while pulling the straps tight.
"There."
Lara looked at the visibly bulging case.
"That thing is going to explode."
"It is not."
The clasp strained.
Creak.
Lara raised an eyebrow.
Anna pressed both hands against the lid.
"It is perfectly fine."
Another ominous creak.
Lara wisely said nothing.
Once everything was packed, the room suddenly looked different.
Empty.
Not completely.
Their beds remained.
Their desks remained.
A few books they had chosen to leave behind sat neatly on shelves.
But the little signs that they actually lived there had been stripped away.
For four weeks, at least.
Anna stood near the doorway with one hand on the handle of her travel case.
She looked back.
It felt strange.
She had spent so much of the past months wanting nothing more than a little peace.
Now that four weeks of it were waiting—
She wasn't entirely sure what to do with herself.
The academy pickup grounds were absolute chaos.
Celestara's grand eastern courtyard had been transformed into a sea of students, luggage, carriages, familiars, parents, servants, academy staff, and increasingly frustrated transportation officials attempting to maintain some semblance of order.
Carriages lined the broad circular road beyond the academy gates.
Some were simple wooden coaches pulled by ordinary horses.
Others belonged to wealthy merchant families, polished and decorated with elaborate family crests.
Noble houses had sent enclosed coaches with uniformed drivers and armed escorts.
A handful of students departed through private teleportation arrangements, disappearing one family at a time through the academy's regulated transit circles.
Above them, several small airships drifted toward the elevated docking platforms, their arcane engines humming quietly as attendants directed passengers toward the appropriate boarding ramps.
Everywhere—
People were leaving.
Four weeks of freedom had arrived all at once.
Anna and Lara stood near one of the designated pickup markers with their travel cases beside them.
Lara checked the academy clock mounted above the courtyard entrance.
Then checked it again.
"He's late."
Anna looked toward the dormitory doors.
"Only by a few minutes."
"He gave us the one-hour deadline."
"I know."
"He specifically said one hour."
"I know."
Lara folded her arms.
"So where is he?"
Anna smiled.
"I thought we agreed he wasn't actually going to pack."
"True."
Another minute passed.
Then—
The doors flew open.
Kaelen appeared.
His hair was slightly disheveled.
His academy coat was half-buttoned.
A large travel case dragged behind him in one hand while a smaller bag hung crookedly from his shoulder.
Something that looked suspiciously like a shirt sleeve was caught in the lid of his case.
He hurried down the steps.
Lara stared at him.
Anna stared at him.
Kaelen reached them.
Stopped.
Straightened his coat.
Then calmly said—
"One hour."
Lara slowly looked toward the academy clock.
"One hour and seven minutes."
Kaelen glanced at the clock.
Then back at her.
"The clock is fast."
"It absolutely is not."
"Can you prove that?"
"Yes."
"How?"
"The academy regulates it through a chronometric rune."
Kaelen paused.
"…I dislike how much you know."
Anna was trying very hard not to look at the shirt sticking out of his luggage.
She failed.
"Kaelen."
"What?"
She pointed.
He followed her finger.
His expression flattened.
The sleeve fluttered innocently in the spring breeze.
Lara covered her mouth.
Kaelen stared at it.
Then shoved the fabric deeper into the case without opening it.
"There."
Anna blinked.
"You didn't actually fix anything."
"I fixed what I could see."
Lara laughed.
Kaelen dropped his smaller bag beside the case and stretched his aching shoulders.
"Besides, none of that matters."
He looked beyond the academy gates.
Toward the endless line of waiting carriages.
Toward families reuniting with students.
Toward the road leading away from Celestara.
A smile slowly spread across his face.
"We made it."
Lara followed his gaze.
"Almost."
Kaelen immediately looked at her.
"No."
"What?"
"Don't say almost."
Lara's grin widened.
"We are still technically on academy grounds."
"Why are you determined to ruin this for me?"
Anna laughed softly between them.
Then her attention shifted toward the entrance road.
Carriages continued passing through the academy gates one after another, attendants calling family names as they arrived.
Students gathered their belongings.
Friends said their goodbyes.
Some promised to write.
Others were already making plans to meet during recess.
Anna watched it all with a quiet smile.
For four weeks—
No classes.
No examinations.
No rushing through academy corridors.
No Obsidian Circle.
Hopefully.
Just home.
Her family.
And perhaps—
For the first time in what felt like forever—
A chance to simply enjoy being fourteen.
Lara nudged her.
"Looking for the imperial carriage?"
Anna nodded.
"They should be here soon."
Lara nodded.
Then paused.
Her eyes drifted toward the entrance road again.
A strange little smile began pulling at the corners of her mouth.
Anna noticed immediately.
"What?"
"Nothing."
Anna raised an eyebrow.
"That was definitely something."
Lara shifted her weight.
"I was just thinking…"
She looked toward the carriages passing through the gates.
"I've never ridden in an imperial carriage before."
Kaelen glanced at her.
"Really?"
Lara slowly turned toward him.
"Kaelen."
"What?"
"My family owns a shipping company that, until recently, was barely surviving."
She gestured toward herself.
"I came to Celestara on a scholarship."
Then toward the entrance.
"Exactly when in my life do you think I would have casually found myself riding around in the imperial family's carriage?"
Kaelen considered that.
"…Fair."
Anna smiled.
"You're excited."
Lara immediately straightened.
"No."
"You are."
"I'm curious."
Anna's smile widened.
"Excited."
"Curious."
"Very excited."
Lara looked away.
"I just want to see what it looks like inside."
Kaelen snorted.
Lara pointed at him.
"Don't."
"I didn't say anything."
"You were going to."
Kaelen lifted both hands innocently.
Anna laughed.
Lara tried to maintain her dignity for another few seconds.
Then she glanced toward the road again.
"…Do they really have enchanted suspension?"
Anna blinked.
"What?"
"The imperial carriages."
Lara looked back at her.
"I heard they use gravitic stabilization runes so you can't feel bumps in the road."
Anna thought about it.
"I think so."
Lara's eyes brightened.
Kaelen caught it immediately.
"Oh, you're very excited."
"Shut up."
"And climate wards," Anna added thoughtfully.
Lara looked at her.
"What?"
Anna nodded.
"There are temperature wards inside."
Lara stared.
"You have temperature-controlled carriages?"
"I suppose?"
"You suppose?"
Anna shrugged helplessly.
"I've never really thought about it."
Lara looked personally offended.
"You grew up with a carriage that controls its own temperature, and you've never thought about it?"
"It was just the carriage."
Kaelen laughed.
"That might be the most princess thing you've ever said."
Anna's cheeks pinked.
"I didn't mean it like that!"
Lara shook her head.
"Unbelievable."
But she was smiling.
Because this wasn't simply a ride home.
Kaelen and Lara were traveling with Anna and the imperial family to Viremont.
And although Lara had tried very hard to pretend otherwise—
She was excited.
Then the crowd near the academy gates began to shift.
Not dramatically.
There was no announcement.
No trumpet fanfare.
No herald shouting the arrival of royalty.
People simply started moving aside.
Carriages pulled closer to the edges of the circular road.
Academy attendants stepped back.
Several students turned toward the entrance.
Lara noticed first.
Her conversation with Anna died mid-thought.
"…Oh."
Anna followed her gaze.
A carriage had entered the academy grounds.
Lara had seen noble carriages before.
Plenty of them.
Celestara Academy was filled with the sons and daughters of wealthy merchants, military officers, governors, aristocrats, and some of the most influential families in the empire.
Their carriages reflected it.
Polished wood.
Silver trim.
Family crests.
Enchanted lanterns.
Beautiful horses.
This—
Was different.
The imperial carriage moved through the academy gates with almost unnatural smoothness.
Six enormous white horses drew it forward, each wearing black-and-gold barding embroidered with the Phoenix Crest of Astoria.
The carriage itself was massive.
Its body was constructed from dark polished wood so smooth it reflected the afternoon light, reinforced by elegant bands of blacksteel along the frame.
Gold traced the edges.
Not gaudy.
Not excessive.
Precise.
Deliberate.
The imperial Phoenix Crest dominated both doors, wings spread wide in gold and crimson.
And beneath it all—
Lara saw them.
Runes.
Hundreds of them.
Tiny.
Interconnected.
Woven through the carriage frame, wheels, axles, windows, and even the suspension beneath the passenger compartment.
Her eyes widened.
"The gravitic runes."
Anna looked at her.
"What?"
"They're real."
Kaelen snorted.
Lara ignored him completely.
She leaned slightly forward as the carriage approached.
The wheels rolled across a seam in the courtyard stone.
There should have been a bump.
There wasn't.
The carriage didn't shift.
Didn't bounce.
Didn't even sway.
The runes around the axles brightened for half a heartbeat—
Then dimmed.
Lara stared.
"That is incredible."
Kaelen glanced toward Anna.
"We've lost her."
"I can hear you."
"You're staring at the wheels."
"Because they're fascinating."
"They're wheels."
"They are magically stabilized wheels."
"Still wheels."
Lara looked at him with genuine disappointment.
"You have no appreciation for engineering."
"I appreciate engineering when it doesn't involve staring at someone's carriage suspension."
Anna laughed.
The carriage slowed before them.
Almost silently.
Then—
Stopped.
Lara waited for the familiar rocking motion that came whenever a carriage settled against its harness.
Nothing.
Not even the faintest shift.
Her mouth opened slightly.
Kaelen noticed.
"Don't."
Lara turned.
"What?"
"Whatever you're about to say."
"I wasn't going to say anything."
"You were about to praise the wheels again."
"I might have."
Anna covered her mouth.
Before Lara could defend herself further, the carriage door opened.
A uniformed imperial servant stepped down.
Then another.
Both wore immaculate black formal coats edged in gold, the Phoenix Crest embroidered over their hearts.
They bowed immediately.
"Your Highness."
Anna smiled politely.
"Good afternoon."
The first servant straightened.
His gaze moved toward Lara and Kaelen.
"Miss Grayson. Lord Stagwood."
Kaelen inclined his head.
Lara did the same, though there was a momentary stiffness to the movement.
She still wasn't accustomed to imperial servants knowing her name.
"Your luggage, please."
Anna gestured toward the cases beside them.
The servants moved immediately.
One took Anna's luggage.
Another reached for Lara's.
"Oh."
Lara instinctively grabbed the handle.
"I can carry it."
The servant paused.
His expression remained perfectly courteous.
"Of course, Miss Grayson."
Lara nodded.
"Thank you."
She lifted it.
The servant stepped back.
Lara made it exactly one step.
Anna looked at her.
Lara looked at Anna.
Then at the imperial carriage.
Then at the luggage.
Then back at the servant.
"…Actually."
The servant remained completely expressionless.
"Yes, Miss Grayson?"
Lara handed him the case.
"Thank you."
"Of course."
Kaelen immediately looked away.
His shoulders shook.
Lara pointed at him.
"Not one word."
"I didn't say anything."
"You're laughing."
"That isn't talking."
Anna giggled.
The servants carried their luggage toward the storage compartment at the rear of the carriage.
Another attendant unfolded the entry step.
Lara looked inside.
And froze.
The interior was larger than she'd expected.
Far larger.
Deep cushioned seating lined the compartment, upholstered in dark crimson fabric and trimmed with gold thread. Polished wood panels covered the walls, each inset with tiny warding arrays that pulsed so faintly they were almost invisible.
Small aetherglass lamps rested overhead.
Curtained windows lined either side.
A compact refreshment cabinet had been built into one wall.
Lara stared.
Kaelen stepped beside her.
"You alright?"
"There are lamps."
Kaelen blinked.
"Yes."
"Inside the carriage."
"Yes."
"They're aetherglass."
"Probably."
Lara slowly looked at Anna.
Anna suddenly seemed worried.
"Is that unusual?"
Lara closed her eyes.
"Anna."
"What?"
"Please stop asking questions like that."
Anna laughed.
The servant beside the door extended one hand.
"Your Highness."
Anna stepped forward.
Then—
A voice carried through the courtyard.
"Anna."
She stopped.
Not Princess.
Not Your Highness.
Anna.
Kaelen froze.
Lara's excitement vanished instantly.
All three recognized that voice.
Slowly—
They turned.
Kael Draven stood near the academy steps.
His black coat moved faintly in the spring breeze.
Hands behind his back.
Posture straight.
Expression unreadable.
The master of the Obsidian Circle looked exactly as he always did.
Calm.
Controlled.
And somehow capable of making three exhausted first-years feel as though they had just been caught attempting to flee a crime scene.
Kaelen's face fell.
"No."
Lara glanced at him.
"Kaelen—"
"No."
He looked toward the open imperial carriage.
Then toward Kael.
Then back toward the carriage.
"We were right there."
Anna pressed her lips together.
Kaelen pointed toward the step.
"One foot."
He held his thumb and forefinger barely apart.
"I was this close to freedom."
"Stagwood."
Kael's voice carried across the courtyard again.
Kaelen closed his eyes.
"…He knows."
Lara almost laughed.
Anna turned fully toward Kael.
He was already walking toward them.
Students moved aside instinctively as he crossed the courtyard.
Kaelen leaned toward Anna.
"Get in."
Anna blinked.
"What?"
"The carriage."
"Kaelen."
"Tell the driver to move."
"We can't just leave."
"We absolutely can."
Lara whispered—
"He'll find us."
Kaelen looked at her.
"We'll be in Viremont."
Lara gave him a flat look.
"You genuinely believe distance matters to that man?"
Kaelen considered it.
His shoulders dropped.
"…No."
Kael reached them.
His eyes passed over the luggage being loaded.
Then the waiting carriage.
Then—
The three first-years standing suspiciously close to its open door.
His gaze settled on Kaelen.
Kaelen smiled.
It was the most obviously fake smile either girl had ever seen.
"Master Draven."
Kael stared at him.
"Stagwood."
"Wonderful weather."
Lara immediately looked away.
Anna bit the inside of her cheek.
Kael's expression did not move.
"So it is."
Silence.
Kaelen nodded.
"Excellent traveling weather."
Another silence.
"Yes."
"Four weeks of it, apparently."
Anna's shoulders started shaking.
Kael's eyes shifted toward her.
"Princess."
Anna immediately regained control.
"Master Draven."
Then Lara.
"Grayson."
"Sir."
Kael looked at all three.