Liam followed Charlotte through the quieter Southern District with the strong suspicion that efficiency had betrayed him.
Most of the second-years were indoors now, packed into the reinforced barracks, the usable side rooms, and the few sheltered spaces that had been cleared enough to hold bodies without immediately threatening to drop a ceiling on them. The faint glow of lamps and controlled magic seeped through cracks in old walls. Low voices drifted from inside, some tired, some nervous, some too quiet to belong to students who had fully settled.
A few still ate by the courtyard edge under supervision, chewing through rations with the dull focus of exhaustion. Others had already fallen asleep sitting against stone, weapons close to hand and boots still on because no one trusted Veyrhold enough to become comfortable.
