The heavy wheels of the carriage rolled smoothly over the paved imperial highway.
Outside the reinforced glass windows, the lush, manicured greenery of the Academy grounds gradually bled into the sweeping, rugged landscapes of the inner territories. Misty forests and distant mountain peaks blurred past, bathed in the pale, unforgiving light of the early morning sun.
But inside the carriage, the atmosphere was entirely suffocating.
Cassandra hadn't moved a muscle for the first hour of the trip. Then, without warning, she snapped her leather-bound ledger shut. The sharp thud resonated loudly in the enclosed space.
"Are you really my brother?"
I froze.
My muscles instantly locked beneath my uniform, my eyes snapping over to meet hers.
"What?" I asked, keeping my voice as steady as possible.
Cassandra narrowed her icy grey eyes. The ambient temperature inside the carriage plummeted instantly, our breath forming faint white plumes in the sudden, unnatural chill.
