wn the long, ca
adilla ancestors. Their painted eyes seemed to follo
Alina's canvas bag and plain clothes. They didn't bow. They didn't low
to the countless nights in her past life, burning her hands on alchemy cau
y double doors leading t
n stood the Silvercrest Academy monument-a towering crystal a
ood at the base
ir was perfectly styled. When he saw Alina in her black cloth
ping with condescension. "If you just go back inside and apologiz
man who had driven a blade throug
art didn't race. She just felt
" Alin
her stuttering, to her lookin
e me?" He reached out, ai
er weight slightly to the left, dropp
ed him forward, making his heavy boots stumble over the co
nning around. "You won't last a month in a savage
t walking straight toward the m
leaned against the stone wall, crossing his arms, making
idn't s
d a microscopic, chaotic sliver of her unrefined mana. It was the exact resonance frequency she had discovered while studying ancient mechanics in her pas
oan, the massive iron gate
open gate, then back at Alina. A cold sweat broke out on his nec
hit her face. Her lungs expanded, taking in air that
entirely. She walked two miles down the
t three silver coins. She slid them
ern Border. Cheapest air
usted, sputtering airship. The cabin smelled strong
at near a scra
eeking of stale beer, lumbered over. He sla
girl. I like
d her head. She lo
m a decade of frontline warfare bleed into her gaze. Her p
ly jerked away from her seat as if the leather had burned him. He stumbled backwa
ghed, but they all g
ry book from her bag and opene
red to life, vibratinge book, Alina closed he
mental energies clashed violently against each ot
cific, rhythmic pattern. The
een earth, yellow light, and purple dark began to swirl together.
knitting the torn tissue back together. The p
olently shook as it broke throug
uctor shouted over the engi
off her face. She lo
ed cliff was a massive fortress built of bl
lgard
ed her bag
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