"I've seen patrols double near the north gate," she said. "Instructors posted where they usually aren't. And three of the enchanted vaults in the east wing were checked twice this morning."
Adrian hopped down from the planter. "You think they're prepping for another breach?"
"No," Seraphina said. "They're not afraid. They're expecting something."
Nathan leaned back again. "That's way worse."
Liliana sighed and closed her book. "Do we even want to know what they're expecting?"
Merlin looked at the ground.
'No. You don't.'
Elara bumped her shoulder against his, light but deliberate.
"You okay?" she said quietly, voice just for him.
He nodded once.
She didn't believe it. But she let it go.
Nathan tossed the rest of his pastry into the nearby trash bin with a lazy arc. It bounced once off the rim and dropped inside.