-Jasper-
The descent from the North Spire was different from the climb. On the way up, we had been a jagged edge, cutting through the dark. On the way down, we were a landslide.
Asher carried Alexia. He held her as if she were made of spun glass and starlight, his jaw set in a line of iron. Beside him, the silver fox trotted with a new sense of purpose, its paws leaving faint, glowing prints on the cold stone stairs. The school was humming a new song now—not the frantic scream of a broken ward, but a deep, resonant thrum of homecoming.
"The dampening fields are failing," Finn said, his voice crackling with excitement. He held his hand out, and a sphere of pure, stable lightning illuminated the spiral staircase. "The school is rejecting the Council's tech. Look at the runes."
I looked. The violet sigils etched into the walls—the ones Vane had used to keep us contained—were flaking off the stone like dead skin. The school was literally shedding the Council's influence.
"Don't get overconfident," Shade warned from the front of our line. She held her rowan-wood staff like a spear. "Vane is a cornered rat, and a rat with a legion of Silencers is still dangerous. He'll be holding the Great Hall. It's the only place left where the ley lines can be manually overridden."
We reached the ground floor of the North Wing and burst through the doors. The sight that met us was something out of the ancient histories of Whisperwind.
The hallway was a sea of students. They weren't hiding anymore. A group of fourth-years had formed a phalanx, their shields overlapping to create a shimmering wall of blue light. Behind them, Professor Aris was directing a volley of conjured stone hawks that dived-bombed any Silencer who tried to regroup.
"They're breaking!" Soren roared, his claymore held high. "Push them back to the Hall!"
The students saw us—saw Asher carrying Alexia—and a cheer went up that made the rafters shake. It wasn't just a shout; it was a release of weeks of pent-up fear and silence.
"Alexia Carter is free!" Kaia's voice rang out from the crowd.
We joined the surge. We moved as a massive, unstoppable tide toward the Great Hall. Every Silencer we encountered was quickly overwhelmed, not by brute strength, but by the sheer variety of magic. The Council was trained to fight mages; they weren't trained to fight an entire ecosystem. The gardening staff had turned the floor into a tangle of grasping roots, while the library assistants used enchanted scrolls to bind the guards in ribbons of indestructible parchment.
We reached the double doors of the Great Hall. They were shut tight, glowing with a sickly, artificial purple light.
"Vane is inside," I said, checking the magical pressure. "He's locked himself in with the High Resonator. He's trying to trigger a total magical purge."
"A purge?" Finn's face went pale. "He'll burn out the core of every student in the building just to stop us."
"Not if I have anything to say about it," Alexia whispered.
Asher started to protest, but she shook her head, her feet finding the floor. She was weak, leaning heavily against him, but the gold in her eyes was blinding. She reached out and touched the fox. The creature nuzzled her hand, and a wave of warmth rolled over all of us.
"Together," Alexia said, looking at the four of us.
We formed the circle around her. Asher, Soren, Finn, and me. Shade stood behind us, her staff raised to ground the excess energy.
"On my mark," Alexia commanded.
She didn't use a spell. She didn't use a wand. She simply spoke to the doors. "You are part of my home. And I am telling you to open."
The violet Council magic didn't just break; it evaporated. The heavy oak doors flew off their hinges, crashing into the far wall of the Great Hall.
Inside, the hall was a nightmare of flickering shadows. Elder Vane stood on the Headmistress's dais, his hands plunged into the glowing mercury of the High Resonator. His face was a mask of desperation, his silver robes stained and singed.
"Stay back!" Vane shrieked. "I have the authority of the High Council! This school is under reformation! I will purge the taint from every one of you!"
"The only taint in this room is you, Vane," Shade said, stepping forward. Her voice was like a gavel hitting a stone block. "You conspired with Gideon to bypass the wards. You used a student as a battery. You have forfeited your seat, your magic, and your name."
"I did what was necessary!" Vane screamed. He pulled his hands from the Resonator, and a wave of jagged, violet energy tore across the room.
Soren stepped forward, his claymore catching the blast. The steel glowed red-hot, but he didn't move an inch. Finn followed up, throwing a bolt of lightning that collided with Vane's shield, the impact creating a shockwave that blew out the remaining stained-glass windows.
Asher moved like a shadow, flanking the dais. He didn't even use magic. He reached the platform in three strides and kicked the High Resonator. The silver basin overturned, the enchanted mercury spilling across the floor and breaking the connection.
Vane fell to his knees as the stolen power was ripped away from him. The violet light died, replaced by the warm, flickering gold of the school's natural torches.
Silence fell over the Great Hall. Hundreds of students stood in the doorways, their breathing heavy, their eyes fixed on the fallen Elder.
"It's over, Vane," I said, stepping up beside Asher.
Shade walked onto the dais. She didn't look at the cowering man. She looked at the students.
"The Council's occupation is ended," she announced. Her voice carried to every corner of the room, bolstered by the school's own magic. "The wards are sealed. The gates are barred. This school is once again a sanctuary."
She turned to Alexia, who was standing at the center of the hall, supported by Finn and Soren.
"And it has its Weaver to thank," Shade added softly.
The cheer that followed was different from the one in the hallway. This one was lower, deeper—a sound of profound relief. The students began to move into the hall, not as a mob, but as a family. Professors were hugging students; rivals were nodding to each other in mutual respect.
I looked at our group. We were bruised, exhausted, and covered in soot. Asher was finally letting himself breathe, his hand resting on Alexia's shoulder. Finn was helping a younger student with a minor burn. Soren was cleaning his blade, his expression finally peaceful.
We had done it. Gideon was at the gates, Vane was in chains, and the school was ours.
But as I looked at Alexia, I saw her staring at the Great Hall's entrance. The fox was sitting at her feet, its ears pricked toward the valley outside.
"He's still there," she whispered, so low only I could hear. "He's waiting."
"Let him wait," I said, though a chill ran down my spine. "He's never getting back in."