“What is the matter with you?” she’d demanded the night before in the practice yard. “I’ve never seen you so jumpy.”

“I have a feeling you’re in danger,” he said. “I can’t shake it.”

“Is this about Han Alister?” she’d asked, pausing with her staff across her body.

He shook his head. “No. Not entirely, anyway. I’ve felt like this since Hallie came home. Like something bad is about to happen.” He adjusted his grip on his staff, carefully placing his hands. “I’ve learned not to ignore those instincts. Please be careful, Rai.”

She’d debated whether to show Queen Marianna’s letter to Amon, and had decided against it. Could Amon’s worries have anything to do with that? Could he sense how unsettled she was, how tempted she was to travel back home?

In the midst of all this, Raisa had exams to study for, and a decision to make about what to wear to the Cadets’ Ball. Female cadets had the option of wearing either their dress uniform or a gown. The uniform would be easier, but Raisa was afraid she’d be taken for somebody’s boyish young squire who’d been allowed to stay up late.

Sometimes she actually missed dressing up.

Still, it was probably too late to hire a seamstress, and unlikely she’d find something to fit her in the secondhand shops along Bridge Street.

Tonight she’d meet with Han. Her heart accelerated. She’d sent a message to Hampton Hall.

Han, I apologize that our evening ended so abruptly. It was wonderful up until then. AB apologizes also. Well, that’s not strictly true, but I apologize for him. Looking forward to Thursday, and to the dance.—Rebecca

There’d been no reply.

Maybe I should see if he shows for tutoring tonight before I look for a dress, Raisa thought glumly. She was tempted to cross the bridge and find Han at his dormitory, but that could end badly in a number of ways.

Amon’s edginess was catching. Raisa found herself constantly looking over her shoulder, feeling the itch on the back of her neck that said someone was watching her. Gray wolves clustered on the quad, their ears pressed back against their heads, and she heard their plaintive howls late at night.

Finally, she hid out in an upstairs reading room at the Wien House library and tried to study. But Han Alister kept intruding into her thoughts. And Amon Byrne. And Marianna, her mother. One moment she decided to return home to the Fells as soon as exams were over, the next she worried that her return might precipitate a crisis. She read the same paragraph over and over until she fell asleep, her face pillowed on her arms.

“Newling Morley?”

Raisa looked up to see a nervous-looking cadet standing in the doorway. She blinked at him hazily. “Oh! I must have fallen asleep! What time is it?”