Morning arrived quietly, at least compared to the storm of the night before. The manor staff moved softly through the halls, Windstone maintained his usual stoic command, and Dean had been successfully blocked from entering the medical wing at dawn by a combination of bribery, pancakes, and Lucas physically turning him around by the shoulders.
Sebastian was still asleep when Trevor stepped out to take a call from Marin, and Lucas was busy answering a brief stream of messages from Mia and Cressida, both pretending not to be panicking.
It was peaceful. Which, naturally, meant the universe was preparing something.
Windstone approached with his tablet held at a stiff angle, his expression unreadable but his posture ever-so-slightly tense.
"My lord," he said. "A message has been delivered."
Trevor didn't look up from the document he was reviewing. "From the academy?"
"No," Windstone replied, each syllable heavy with impending doom. "From Saha."
