Chapter 151

• Zara’s POV
• The Academy had never looked so radiant, and yet I couldn’t shake the unease curling in my stomach.
• The grand ballroom glowed with silver chandeliers strung like constellations overhead. Music from a live ensemble floated through the air, delicate notes of violins and harps weaving between laughter and whispered gossip. The students were dressed in finery—gowns of silk and some velvet, suits sharp enough to cut through the tension hanging unseen above us.