The courtyard still buzzed with quiet whispers as the Veilbound Witches drew their grey shawls tighter and began to move away. Their steps made no sound. One by one, they drifted into the mist until the last shimmer of their veils disappeared completely.

Baron Ortega stood at the center of the high stone platform, the faint light from the dusk sharpening the lines on his face.

His expression was grim, unreadable, yet something fierce burned in his eyes.

He looked over the gathered cadets - ...