Lirien stepped out into the cooling afternoon air, the breeze doing little to lower the temperature flushing his skin. His phone buzzed in his pocket immediately. It was Vael.
"Traffic is stuck on the bridge," Vael's voice came through the speaker, tight with frustration. "Some accident. I'm not going to be there for another twenty minutes, maybe thirty. Do not move. Stay right where you are, near the entrance where there are people."
Lirien leaned against the brick wall of the school, sliding down until he sat on the low concrete bridge floor. "I'm not going anywhere," he murmured, trying to sound more assured than he felt. "Just hurry. Please."
"I am. Keep my jacket on. Keep your head down."
