Chapter 62 Under Siege
POV: Luna
The Great Hall is chaos.
Students pour in from every direction, some still in pajamas, all of them scared. The younger years are crying. Even some of the older students look terrified.
I've never seen the Academy like this.
Faculty members stand at every entrance, checking students as they arrive. Professor Thorne is at the front, barking orders.
"First years to the back! Second and third years in the middle! Fourth and fifth years, you're our first line of defense if the wards fail!"
If the wards fail.
Those words send a chill through everyone.
Nova grabs my hand as we're pushed deeper into the hall by the crowd. We end up near the back with the other first years, pressed against the stone wall.
"What's happening?" someone asks.
"Are we under attack?"
"I heard it's rogues."
"How many?"
The howls continue outside, that awful distorted sound making my skin crawl.
Headmaster Sterling appears at the front of the hall, and everyone falls silent.
"Students of Silverwood," he says, his voice magically amplified to reach every corner. "We are currently under siege by a large pack of rogue wolves. The wards are holding, but I need everyone to remain calm and stay exactly where you are."
Murmurs ripple through the crowd.
"How many?" someone shouts.
"At least twenty," the Headmaster replies. "Possibly more. They are testing our defenses, but I assure you, these walls have stood for centuries. They will not fall tonight."
I'm not so sure about that.
My mark is still burning, pulsing with each howl from outside. Whatever those rogues want, it has something to do with me.
Professor Cael moves through the crowd, his eyes scanning. When he spots me, he heads directly over.
"Miss Eclipse, come with me."
"Why?"
"Because you're the target. We need you somewhere more protected."
Nova's grip on my hand tightens. "I'm coming too."
"Fine. Both of you. Quickly."
He leads us through the crowd toward a side door I've never noticed before. It's hidden behind a tapestry, barely visible.
"Where are we going?" I ask.
"Secure room. If the wards fail, you'll be the first one they come for. I won't let that happen."
We follow him down a narrow staircase into what looks like an underground chamber. The walls are lined with protective symbols that glow faintly in the darkness.
Ryder is already there, along with a few other faculty members.
"Luna," he says, relief evident in his voice. "Good. You're safe."
"For now," I mutter.
Another howl echoes from above, so loud it shakes dust from the ceiling.
"They're getting bolder," Professor Thorne says, entering the chamber behind us. "Testing the eastern wall now."
"How long can the wards hold?" the Headmaster asks.
"Against this many? Hard to say. Hours. Maybe less if they're being directed by someone with real power."
"They are being directed," I say. "I can feel it. These aren't mindless rogues. Someone's controlling them."
Everyone turns to look at me.
"How do you know?" Professor Thorne asks, his tone sharp.
"My mark. It's connected to them somehow. I can sense their intent. They're not here to breach the wards. Not yet. They're here to scare us. To show their strength."
"She's right," Professor Cael says. "This feels like a demonstration. A warning."
"A warning of what?" Nova asks quietly.
"That whoever's behind this has the power to destroy us whenever they choose," the Headmaster says grimly. "They're showing us they could attack at any time. That we're not as safe as we thought."
We wait.
Hours pass.
The howls continue. Sometimes close. Sometimes distant. Always that same distorted, wrong quality.
Students above us are probably terrified. I wish I could be with them instead of hiding down here like a coward.
But I understand why they brought me here. If the rogues breach the wards, I'm the one they'll hunt first.
Around three in the morning, something changes.
The howls start to fade.
Slowly at first, then faster.
Professor Cael closes his eyes, sensing. "They're retreating."
"Why?" Ryder demands.
"I don't know. But they're pulling back from all sides."
We wait another hour to be sure.
Finally, as dawn breaks, Professor Thorne returns from checking the perimeter.
"They're gone. All of them. Just... vanished back into the forest."
"That doesn't make sense," Ryder says. "Why siege us for hours and then just leave?"
"Because it wasn't about attacking," I say. "It was about showing us they could. About making us afraid."
The Headmaster nods slowly. "The girl is right. This was psychological warfare. They wanted us to know we're vulnerable. That our wards can be surrounded. That an army could appear at our gates at any moment."
"So what do we do?" Professor Thorne asks.
"We increase patrols. Strengthen the wards. And we find out who's controlling these creatures before they come back." The Headmaster looks at me. "Miss Eclipse, I believe you're the key to solving this mystery. Someone wants you dead. We need to figure out who and why."
"I'm already working on it, sir."
"Good. But be careful. Whoever is behind this has resources and power we haven't seen in generations. Don't take unnecessary risks."
We're dismissed to return to the Great Hall.
Students are still there, exhausted and scared. Some have fallen asleep on the floor. Others are huddled in groups, talking in low voices.
When they see me enter, conversations stop.
They know. They all know the rogues were here because of me.
I can see it in their faces. Fear. Resentment. Anger.
I'm the reason they spent the night in terror.
"Ignore them," Nova whispers. "They're just scared."
But I can't ignore it. Not when she's right.
The Headmaster addresses everyone again, explaining that the immediate danger has passed but that security will be increased. Classes are canceled for the day. Everyone is to stay within the Academy walls until further notice.
"No one leaves campus," he emphasizes. "For any reason. Is that understood?"
Murmured agreements ripple through the crowd.
As students start filing out toward their dorms, Darius appears beside me.
"Quite a night," he says casually.
"What do you want?"
"Just making an observation. Twenty rogues show up at our gates. All of them clearly interested in one specific person." He looks at me pointedly. "You're becoming a liability, Eclipse. People are starting to wonder if keeping you here is worth the risk."
"I didn't ask for any of this."
"Doesn't matter. You're a target. Which makes everyone around you a target too." He leans closer. "How long before the other students decide you're not worth protecting?"
Before I can respond, he walks away.
Nova glares after him. "He's just trying to get in your head."
"It's working."
We head back to our dorm. I'm exhausted but too wired to sleep.
My mark has finally stopped burning, but I can still feel the lingering presence of those rogues. Like they left an imprint on the air.
"Luna," Nova says as we reach our room. "Whatever happens, we need to find out who's controlling those rogues before they come back. Because next time, they might not just be testing the wards."
She's right.
Next time could be a real attack.
And I need to be ready.
But first, I need answers.
"Tomorrow," I say. "When everyone's distracted with cleanup and reinforcing defenses. We sneak out to the forest. To where the rogues were gathered. Maybe they left something behind. Some clue about who's controlling them."
"Are you insane? The Headmaster just said no one leaves campus."
"I know. But we don't have a choice. If we wait for the faculty to investigate, it could be too late. Whoever's behind this is moving fast. We need to move faster."
Nova looks at me for a long moment. Then she sighs.
"Fine. But we're taking Marcus too. We'll need his ward expertise to get past security."
"Agreed."
We finally collapse into our beds just as the sun fully rises.
But I don't sleep.
I just stare at the ceiling, planning.
Tomorrow, I'm going to find out who wants me dead.
And then I'm going to stop them.