"So how do I get in now?"
Alaric muttered the words to himself, slouched on a wooden bench near the cobblestone path.
The academy gates loomed maybe twenty feet ahead.
His head tilted back, eyes half-closed against the late afternoon glare.
Guards still patrolled the perimeter.
He'd counted rotations. Which meant jumping the wall wasn't easy, not without getting spotted. And walking through the front gates? That'd mean questions. Too many questions about where he'd been, why he looked like he'd crawled through a warzone, what happened to his uniform.
More trouble than it was worth.
"Damn it."
The words came out flat. Tired.
He let his head fall forward, rubbing at his face with both hands.
His gaze drifted upward.
The sky was starting to turn orange now. The sun sinking toward the horizon, dragging long shadows across the grounds. Gold light painted the academy's towers, making them glow like they were on fire.
It was pretty.
Also meant he'd been sitting here too long.
