Kael
The lift began moving while I was still trying to sit down.
Liora caught the back of my coat. I caught the seat.
Between us, we produced something close to a normal boarding.
"A strong start," she said.
"I wanted to see whether the seat worked."
She released my coat once I had settled. Below the platform rail, the academy buildings slipped out of sight behind a pale ridge of stone.
I had expected to feel something as we left. Relief, perhaps. The tournament had ended, the last hearings were over, and there was no practice room waiting for me that afternoon.
Mostly I wanted the strap of my case to stop pressing against my ankle.
I moved it with my right foot.
Across the aisle, Aiden held a bundle of long equipment cases between his knees. Valeria watched the approach to the lower station. Nyx had chosen a place where she could see both doors.
Seraphina offered me water.
