The Magisterian soldiers had set off in high spirits, but hours into the night march, most of them had already dozed off. The caravan rolled forward, the rhythmic clatter of hooves and wagon wheels lulling many to sleep. Only a few remained awake—drivers guiding the horses, guards keeping watch, and the occasional soldier stifling a yawn.
Inside one of the carriages, Cassian was fast asleep, his head resting on Lumine's as hers leaned against his shoulder. Nearby, the siblings had slumped together in a similar tangle of limbs, while Robert had slid halfway down the window, mouth slightly open as he snored.
The only one still awake was Wanni. Balancing two mana circles in her hands—one a soft glow of light, the other a shifting sphere of water—she pressed them together experimentally. The magic flickered as the circles destabilized, but she kept at it, carefully trying to merge the two into one.
