-Jasper-
The iron bolt on the outside of our dormitory door didn't just slide; it groaned and snapped, the metal twisting like tinfoil under the pressure of the school's shifting foundations. I pulled my hand back from the wood, my palm still tingling with the resonance of the command I'd whispered to the grain.
The door swung open, but we didn't rush out into the hall. Not yet. We were in the heart of the West Wing, a section of the school defined by its narrow corridors and stone archways. It was easy to defend, but even easier to be trapped in.
"We can't just storm the Spire with four people and a Headmistress," I said, looking at Asher. He was standing by the door, his muscles coiled like a spring, his eyes fixed on the flickering torches in the hallway. "Vane has fifty Silencers stationed between this wing and the North Tower. Even with your wolf and Soren's blade, those are losing odds."
"Then we change the odds," Shade said. She stepped into the center of the room, her silver-grey cloak billowing. She looked at the four of us, her eyes sharp. "The Council thinks they've cowed the student body. They think that because they removed me and isolated Alexia Carter, the heart of this school stopped beating. They're wrong. Alexia isn't just a student; she's the anchor the school has been waiting for."
"The students are terrified, Shade," Finn countered, his fingers sparking with nervous energy. He looked out the small window toward the other dormitories. "I saw their faces when the Silencers marched in. They're hiding behind their wards, praying the Council doesn't pick them next."
"They aren't just terrified," Soren said, his voice a low rumble. He was checking the weight of his claymore, the steel catching the moonlight. "They're angry. I can feel it through the floorboards. The school is vibrating with their frustration."
"Then we give them a reason to fight," I said, a plan finally clicking into place. I looked at the West Wing's layout. "The Council has cut off the internal comms, but they haven't touched the 'Echo-Chambers' in the sub-basement. If we can get to the resonators, we can broadcast to every room in the academy."
"Do it," Asher commanded. He looked at the fox in Soren's arms. The creature was glowing brighter now, its fur shedding tiny sparks of white light that smelled like fresh snow. "I'll take the lead to the basement. Soren, you're with me. Finn, you stay with Shade—you're the loudest. When Jasper hits the resonators, you're the one who needs to talk to them."
We moved through the shadows of the West Wing like ghosts. We bypassed the main stairwells where the Silencer patrols were thickest, using the servant passages and the laundry chutes to drop toward the foundations.
When we reached the sub-basement—a cold, damp place that smelled of wet stone—I found the Resonator Array. It was a massive series of silver tuning forks embedded into the foundation stone.
I placed my hands on the central crystal. "Whisperwind," I whispered. "Lend us your voice for Alexia Carter."
The crystal flared. A low, rhythmic hum began to vibrate through the floors, rising up through the soles of every student's feet.
"Now, Finn!" I shouted.
Finn stepped up to the array. He didn't use a speech. He used the truth.
"Students of Whisperwind," Finn's voice echoed through every hallway, every dormitory, and every classroom. It wasn't just a sound; it was a feeling. "The Council told you they are here for your safety. They lied. They've taken Alexia Carter to the North Spire. They aren't cleansing her. They're draining her. They're using her as an anchor to bring Gideon back into these walls."
I could feel the school hold its breath.
"Headmistress Shade is with us," Finn continued, his voice growing stronger. "If you want your home back—if you want to be more than just a battery for the Council's power—then meet us at the North Wing gates. The circle is open. Claim your place in it."
The silence that followed was deafening. For a heartbeat, I feared no one would come.
Then, the school answered.
A roar went up from the East Wing—the sound of a hundred doors being kicked open at once. In the West Wing, where we were, the sound of glass shattering echoed through the vents. The students weren't just coming; they were erupting.
We sprinted back to the ground level, arriving at the junction between the West and North wings just as the first wave of students collided with the Council guards.
It was beautiful, chaotic justice. Professor Aris, the ancient alchemy teacher, was leading a group of third-years, hurling volatile glass flasks that erupted into thick, blinding fog. The gardening staff had animated the ivy on the walls, using the thick vines to trip and bind the Silencers.
"Look!" Soren pointed.
Coming from the dorms was a sea of students. They weren't using high-level combat magic; they were using what they knew. Levitating heavy oak tables to create barricades. Using cooling charms to freeze the stone floor beneath the guards' feet.
"Headmistress!" a girl shouted—it was Kaia. She was leading a group of healers. "The North Wing is blocked by a wall of violet fire. We can't get through!"
"It's a Council ward," Shade said, her staff glowing. "It requires a Weaver's blood to pass. Or..." She looked at the fox in Asher's arms. "The catalyst."
Asher stepped to the front of the crowd. The students parted for him, their eyes wide as they saw the intensity in his gaze. He wasn't the boy who had turned her in anymore. He was the vanguard of the rescue.
"We have the fox!" Asher shouted over the din of the battle. "And we have the key! We are going to that Spire, and we are bringing Alexia Carter back!"
A cheer erupted—a raw, visceral sound that shook the very foundations of the school.
"Jasper, Finn, Soren," Asher said, looking at us. "This is it. The school is holding the line. We go for the Spire now."
"What about the Council reinforcements?" I asked, seeing more Silencers emerging from the Great Hall.
"The staff will hold them," Shade said. She raised her staff, and the torches in the West Wing turned from Council-violet back to the warm, golden glow of Whisperwind.
"The students will hold the courtyards. We go for the head of the snake."
We began our run toward the North Spire. Behind us, the West Wing was a whirlwind of light and sound. I saw a group of first-years using simple 'spark' spells to blind a Silencer while an older student tackled him.
As we reached the heavy iron doors that led to the North Spire, the air began to scream. The high-pitched hum of the bridge was getting louder, vibrating in my very marrow.
Asher slammed his fist against the door. "We're coming, Alexia!"
He didn't wait for me to pick the lock. He let the wolf out, his hands shifting into claws of pure shadow. With a roar that drowned out the sound of the rebellion, he tore the iron door right off its hinges.
"For Alexia!" Finn yelled, throwing a bolt of lightning into the dark stairwell.
We charged into the darkness, the sounds of the student rebellion at our backs, and the scent of the Void waiting above.