"Pay attention to the people who warn you without saying anything directly."
***
Challenging the assessment assignments was impossible.
Teams had been finalized weeks ago. Sections distributed by lottery under Professor De Clare's watchful eye. The faculty had made it abundantly clear that any attempt to modify the arrangements would result in immediate expulsion.
The rules existed for a reason, they'd said. Every team faced equal challenges. Equal dangers. Equal opportunities to prove themselves.
No exceptions. No excuses. No appeals.
Rhys could try to warn his teammates. But what evidence did he have? An overheard conversation between two students he barely knew and some ominous passages in a tactical manual that anyone could access?
Petra Goldhand, Finn Redbrook, and Jorik Ironwill were good people. Solid in a fight and reliable in a crisis. But they were also first-year students who'd never faced real combat outside of controlled sparring sessions.
