Maelis' POV
The morning of the Conquests showed up way sooner than I wanted.
I barely slept. My mind wouldn't slow down with thoughts of Cassandra, the team, every little thing that could blow up in our faces. I spent most of the night just staring at the ceiling, listening to the muffled noise of the academy coming alive for the day.
As soon as the first light slipped through my window, I got up quietly and got dressed in the near-dark.
I left the room without waking Cassandra. No way did I have the energy to talk to her, not this morning.
The main hall was already packed when I got there.
Students crammed wall to wall, and the noise…they were loud, yeah, but underneath the chatter was this jittery buzz. Teams were clustered together in tight huddles, talking in low voices, probably sharing last-second plans. The air stank of nervous sweat and too much anticipation.
I weaved around people, looking for someone I knew.
"Hey, over here!"
