High Arbiter Severin led us through corridors I'd never seen before. Deep beneath the academy, carved from stone that predated the buildings above. Guards flanked us at every turn, their expressions giving nothing away.

"Where are we going?" I asked.

"Somewhere secure. Somewhere the continental council can speak with you without interference." Severin's pace never slowed. "And somewhere Alpha Mordain's influence doesn't reach."

"So he doesn't know about this," Darius said.

"He knows we've ...