Two full days had slipped by since the conclusion of the third round of the gladiator tournament. The air inside the Senate Castle carried a strange heaviness, an unease that none of the students could quite shake off. That particular morning, Freja and Elin were still buried under their sheets, drifting in the stupor of an unrestful sleep, when a sudden, frantic voice cut through their drowsiness.
"Freja! Elin! Wake up!"
