The entry foyer was the scene of a battle and Lyra fought to remain calm. Bloody bodies lay all over the stone floor and Lyra nearly fell when her bare feet slid on the blood-slicked stones. Most of the bodies in the entry foyer were Academy guards, although there were also a few raiders and some of the guests she had seen earlier. The weaponless guests had been slaughtered as well as the guards who were meant to protect the Academy. The three young warriors searched the entry foyer carefully, but they could not find anyone alive.

Lyra led the group as they silently climbed the steps to the second floor. There were classrooms and guest quarters on this floor and each room had to be checked thoroughly before they could be sure that there were no more raiders. The classrooms on this level were used mostly by Master Caulder to teach strategy and tactics to the small number of students he took on. Lyra’s father had allowed Master Caulder to host a school here in return for the services of his men and cadets. The arrangement had turned out to be a poor deal for both of them. Most of the classrooms were empty, but the hallway and the large practice room were littered with more bodies. Most of the bodies here were cadets and there was not a single body of a raider on the entire floor.

Lyra’s whole body began shaking as she summoned the strength to mount the next flight of steps to the floor that housed the magic classrooms. Syman and Antello each placed a firm hand on her shoulder as she fought to control herself. Everyone had heard the conversation and knew what they would find on the next floor. Lyra inhaled and nearly choked on the smell of blood, but she steeled herself and shook off the hands of her friends as she led the way up the stairway.

Lyra halted on the landing of the third floor and nearly retched. While downstairs had looked like a battleground, this floor presented the image of a senseless slaughter. The hallway was littered with student bodies, the look of horror and fear still etched on their young faces. Blood had flowed freely here and in the center of the hallway was a large pool of red, sticky blood.