Aria’s POV

The summons to the Headmaster’s hall was unpleasantly formal, the kind that makes your stomach crawl and your brain scream “Oh no, trouble is imminent.”

Caspian followed me, silent as ever, the quiet sort of quiet that could either mean he was planning something or judging me silently—sometimes both.

The hall itself smelled faintly of old stone and incense, the sun slanting through the windows so bright it could have burned your retinas if you weren’t careful. The ...