The hooded man's voice carried over the broken arena.
"Selvara. What are you doing?"
His tone was sharp, full of anger and disbelief.
Selvara stood near the shattered wall. Black frost swirled in her hands, her pale eyes steady.
She looked at Azrael first. His violet eyes met hers. They held confusion, pain, and something else.
Then she glanced at Seraphina, Elvara, and the few students still on their feet. She looked back to the hooded man.
"I'm doing what I wanted," she said. Her voice was clear, steady. "What I should have done a long time ago. I'm choosing my own path."
The man tilted his head. His hood shifted, but his face stayed hidden.
"You betray us now? After all the power you were given?"
Selvara's jaw tightened. "I was never yours. I was never Zagan's. I was never a tool. I was too late to see it before, but now I know. I am not your cage."
The hooded man let out a sharp laugh.
Pss.
