We closed the reception clean. Lamps down. Tools back in their cases. Pierce thanked the last donors at the door. Halvern left with Seraphine at his elbow. Liora waited until the hall was empty.
"Coats," she said. "Light kits. No uniforms."
Cael and I grabbed our plain cloaks. Mira took her notebook and a small bag of tags. Dorian checked the laces on his boots and nothing else. Pierce locked the hall and came with us.
We took the south gate out of the academy and cut through back streets. The city was damp and cool. You could smell the river. You could smell smoke. The farther we walked, the sharper the smoke got.
North Quarter watched us without staring. A few doors were half-closed. A Watch bell clanged twice, then once. We turned down a lane with stacked crates and followed the smoke to the docks.
