The academy looked different in summer and winter. Sienna's last visit there had been during summer and the gates had been warm and welcoming. It was winter now, and the gates were somewhere between white and crystalline. Sienna walked briskly, her falcon uncles and aunts flanking her like a living wall. Along the way, they split up to find their children who were in different classes.
For the rest of the journey, she walked with her guards, reaching Soren's class on the twentieth floor of a large building. The hallway was crowded with parents and students. Her gaze swept the crowd until it landed on her brother. He leaned against the wall outside his classroom, his uniform rumpled, his left eye swollen and darkened. The bruise stood out starkly against his healthy, but pale skin.
"Sis," he muttered, straightening as if her presence alone demanded discipline. "Don't overreact."
