Baron's jaw tightened. His nostrils flared slightly as the echo of laughter and whispers hung in the air. Every muscle in his body screamed restraint.

"Silence!" Caelan Volke barked, voice slicing through the crowd like a blade.

The cadets snapped back into order, though the energy-the quiet thrill of having witnessed something forbidden-lingered like smoke.

Baron's eyes flicked once more toward Elowyn. Then he turned away, expression locked in stone.

The Veilbound ...