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Heading toward them, Eldon and Brax also appear from their bedrooms, but that doesn’t stop Zane from claiming Raven all for himself, pulling her into his lap as the rest of us take our seats.
“Hey,” Raven murmurs with a smile, glancing at the three of us, and I grin back.
“Good morning, Raven.”
“Are you ready?” she asks, looking over her shoulder at Zane as if waiting for his approval, and when he nods, she focuses back on the table. A moment later, plates of food appear in front of Brax, Eldon, and me. Each is filled with eggs, bacon, and pancakes.
“You even got the plate this time. What a queen you are, Little Bird. Thank you,” Eldon says with a snicker, and she sticks her tongue out at him.
“What has you in such a good mood?” Brax asks, digging into the food on his plate, and I follow suit.
“Nothing, I just actually slept for a change. I’m revitalized and ready for the day.” She’s practically bouncing in Zane’s lap. Whatever she did, it’s definitely given her the energy she’s been lacking.
“Do you still want to go and find Lyra today? See if she can give us some information on the compound?” Zane asks, murmuring against her ear, and she eagerly nods.
“Please.”
Fuck, she doesn’t even have to say please. We’ll follow her to the ends of the realm and let it burn if she asks.
All too quickly, the table is filled with empty plates and it’s time to leave. Grabbing my backpack, we meet at the door and step outside into the gray and abysmal weather.
We make it to the end of our pathway before Raven pauses, tilting her head back to look at the sky. “Does the sky seem weird to you?”
I try to give it the same level of attention as she is. It’s not raining, and the sky isn’t completely filled with dark clouds… it’s just really dark. To the point that I’m considering rechecking the time to make sure we’re not early.
“I see what you mean,” I murmur, but there’s no real explanation for it. Raven’s lips twist as she closes her eyes.
“My skin feels tingly, the air static-y, and it’s almost like there’s a strange taste on my tongue or something.”
I frown, but it’s Zane who speaks before I can.
“What does that mean, Dove?”
Her eyes blink open and she slowly lowers her head to glance at us. “I don’t know, but my spine is stiff and the hairs on the back of my neck aren’t happy,” she explains, but it still doesn’t make much sense. “Don’t worry about it. Let’s keep going before we’re late.”
Brax takes the lead and we join the students already on the main path heading to the academy building. It’s deathly quiet. There’s no murmuring among friends, no gossiping. Nothing. It really does feel like the weirdest and most solemn morning we’ve had for as long as I can remember.
As we near the double doors, there are three professors waiting for us and a heavy feeling settles in my gut. Since I’m holding position at the back of the group, I take an extra step closer to Raven as Professor Figgins speaks. “There’s a gathering this morning. Everyone make your way to the courtyard, immediately,” she declares, and Raven glances back over her shoulder to stare at me with wide eyes.
I have no answer for her, but a moment later, Leila appears inside the hallway, hollering Raven’s name.
“What’s going on?” Raven asks, falling into step with her somewhat friend.
“I don’t know, my father mentioned there was an announcement but he didn’t look happy. If anything, he was maybe a little… worried. I don’t think I’ve ever seen him look so lost, not even when he was worried about me in the Gauntlet,” she admits. Even I remember the sternness of his face and the tightness in his jaw as he worried for his daughter in the build-up to the third years taking to the pit. Nevermind when she was actually in there.
“Do you think the sky looks weird today?” Raven asks as we follow the crowd moving toward the courtyard, and Leila frowns.
“I mean, it does seem dark…” she admits, and Raven nods reluctantly. Whatever she’s sensing, I don’t think the rest of us are feeling it.
Entering the courtyard, it’s a surprise to see Burton there already waiting. It’s not even a projection of him like it usually is. He’s here in the flesh. “Why does that feel like a bad omen?” I mumble to Eldon as we come to a stop in the middle of the mass of students.
“I didn’t think that was possible, but I know what you mean,” he retorts.
Pursing my lips, I look over the group of men that seem to be standing with Burton , but they’ve all got their backs turned to us. One of them stands taller than the others, a fur cloak lining his shoulders drapes down to the floor, and it looks like there’s a crown on his head, but I can’t be sure. The others are dressed in black with brown satchels over their shoulders and scabbards at their waist. It’s like they’re dressed for battle, but if that was the case, they wouldn’t be standing here so casually… would they?
They look completely out of place beside Burton in his usual pristine suit and slicked-back hair. The only noticeable thing different about him is how stiff his shoulders are. He turns to address us, a mask of calmness washing over his features from head to toe as he speaks.
“Good morning, students. We have an unexpected visitor today, but a fabulous one at that.” The way the corner of his mouth twitches as he smiles tells me he’s lying. “I would like to introduce you to Erikel. He’s visiting from the Basilica Realm.”
