Cordelia walked through the narrow street, her ears ringing in the heavy quiet left behind by the gate's closing. Elian had told her to wait. Sylvia had promised that a search unit would be sent the second the area was safe.
But waiting felt like doing nothing.
She had spent her whole life letting royals, guards, and teachers tell her where to stand for her own safety. If she sat for another hour drinking warm tea while Marius bled out in an alley, she would never be able to look at herself again.
So, while the guards were busy with the wounded from Headmaster Vega's portal, she slipped past them and walked out alone
Now she was running through the lower district. Every step she took down the slope felt like dragging her boots through mud.
A cold, twisting fear tightened in her throat, growing heavier with every yard, until breathing felt like swallowing glass. Her heart pounded against her ribs, caught between desperate hope and crushing terror.
