Team lists went up at noon on a board outside the east yard. Names written in neat hand, captains in bold. The Wind Spire Relay would run in three days. No lights allowed. Gust lanes shifting every minute. Points for safe speed and method, not drama.
My team: Gareth Blackwater, Lyra Faewyn, Pelham Gray, and a runesmith apprentice named Mira Holst. Solid mix. Dirt, wards, rope, and someone who could draw sigils that didn't fail at the first sneeze.
Aldric read the list, then looked over at Pelham with the ease of a man who never wondered if an offer was welcome. "Gray," he said, smiling like the answer was a formality. "You've got family in my father's ledger. Walk with me. We'll organize something more befitting your level."
Pelham hesitated. He glanced at my name, then at Aldric's crest ring. He wore good boots but stood like a man who always checked the floor first.
