Evaline:
I had expected Kieran to take me somewhere within the Academy grounds. Maybe one of the quiet gardens behind the administration wing or that glass-roofed room at the top of the library tower where professors sometimes took advanced students for individual mentoring.
But instead… he led me somewhere else entirely.
He didn't say a word as we walked through the empty corridors of the administration building. His long strides were measured, calm, the sound of his boots faintly echoing through the stone hallways. The air felt colder here, stiller... like even the walls knew we weren't supposed to be here.
I followed him silently, my heart pounding faster with each turn we took until we reached what looked like a dead end.
