The fireworks display continued with increasing intensity, building toward what was supposed to be the grand finale. But then something went spectacularly wrong—or spectacularly right, depending on perspective.
One of the massive fireworks exploded much lower than intended, showering the lawn with colored sparks that made students scream and scatter. Then another firework shot sideways instead of upward, creating horizontal burst of purple and green that nearly hit the faculty observation area.
"What's happening?" I asked Alexander.
"That's not accidental malfunction. Someone sabotaged the fireworks sequence."
As if on cue, Julian's voice came through a megaphone from somewhere on the dormitory roof: "Enhanced dramatic effect, courtesy of European royal intervention in boring tradition
