Chapter 91: The Pattern in the Quake
The tremors did not stop. They became the Academy's new, irregular heartbeat. A shiver during morning prayers that rattled the censer chains. A low rumble beneath the library that made dust dance on forgotten shelves. A sharp jolt in the refectory that sloshed soup from bowls met now with weary grumbles rather than screams. The faculty's assurances grew more strained, their smiles tight. "Perfectly normal settling," they said. "Residual tectonic release." The words were blankets too small to cover the growing dread.
