Morning wind ran clean across the ridge. Four wind-spires stood like tall tuning forks above the roofs, their anchor plates set around each base in a ring. Wardens had roped off the lanes. Proctors stood with slates. Students formed a wide half-circle with the kind of attention you only see when a rumor has teeth.
Liora faced us. Platinum hair braided back, soft blue eyes steady. "We show process, not drama," she said. "Log first. Fix second. If you see something and can't name it, you call it and step back."
Dorian stood a little behind her, where the wind died. Hands loose. Watching without crowding.
Pierce raised a hand. "This is an audit, not a show. If you posture, you go home."
I touched the kit at my hip. Bone Lantern. Bone Sapper on a thin thong. Chalk. Wedges. Two clean bags with wax seals. Marrow and Hollow waited in Shade, leashes tight and quiet.
Mira joined me with a rune bag and neat ink on her fingers. "I'll read the plates," she said. "You take the throats."
