"Not all friends wear familiar faces."

The courtyard was empty at midnight, shadows pooling thick beneath the stone arches. I pulled my cloak tighter against the cold, breath misting in front of me. Coming here alone was stupid. I knew that. But the note had promised answers, and I was desperate enough to take the risk.

Movement caught my eye. A figure stepped out from behind the Moon Goddess statue that dominated the courtyard's center—a student, tall and lean, with dark hair hanging ...