For a moment, no one moves. The silence holds, taut and heavy. Then, bit by bit, the courtyard slowly shifts, boots scuffing stone, voices low, cadets starting to breathe again.
I glance across the crowd, Talen’s already vanished from view, and so I let out a long breath I didn’t realise I’d been holding. Beside me, Ezzy does the same, quieter but just as strained.
“Well,” I murmur, turning to face her. “At least I know Talen can’t kill me outside of Demonstrations.”
Ezzy shrugs, offering a half-hearted smile. “Yeah… I guess. Though I’m not sure the Nightrose is the type to let rules stop him.” She hesitates, then adds without thinking. “And from the way he was looking at you… I’d bet he’s more than willing to break them.” A beat of silence, before her eyes widen a fraction as the words seem to hit her. “Oh, I mean... you’ll be fine! Yeah,totallyfine! He probably just looks like that at everyone...”
Before I can respond, movement to our right draws her attention. Her two friends reappear through the thinning crowd, falling into step beside her. She brightens immediately, like a switch flipping, shoulders squaring, her usual spark returning.
“Oh, right. Lyra,” she says, “I want you to meet my cousin, Rowan, andthatmenace behind him is Finn.”
Rowan nods once. He’s tall, solidly built, with the same pale skin and white-blond hair that curls just slightly at the ends. If she hadn’t said cousin,I’d have guessed twin.
They’re almost identical, minus the sparkly hairpin. Even their eyebrows match. But where Ezzy’s brightness is obvious, naïve in a way she doesn’t bother hiding. Rowan looks older. His expression is quieter, measured. Mouth held like he’s actually used to swallowing opinions before they form.
“Nice to meet you,” he says, tucking a book under his arm as he offers me his hand.
His posture’s easy, tone casual, but his eyes sweep over me like he’s quietly taking stock.
I hesitate, but take it. His thumb brushes lightly over my knuckles like he’s tracing something only he can feel, the corner of his mouth tightens, almost a flinch. Then he lets go.
“You’ve got a strong pulse,” he notes, face unreadable, “Good sign.”
There’s something about the way he says it needles under my skin, it’s not at all threatening, but?—
“So you’re the girl from the Outerlands.” Finn cuts in. His voice is smooth, teasing, and infuriatingly amused.
In contrast to Rowan, he is all motion and smirk. Golden-tan skin, dark, narrow but bright eyes. His black hair is shoulder-length, straight, and half-pulled back in a knot that’s already unravelling.
“I was beginning to think Ezzy made you up.” he jokes, as he laces his fingers together and pushes until his knuckles crack.
Ezzy elbows him, hard. “Ugh, stop. That’s disgusting.”
“What, this?” He grins, shoving his hands right in her face and cracking them again, louder this time.
She exhales dramatically, rolling her eyes so hard it’s a miracle they stay in her skull. But there’s colour in her cheeks now, and she’s not exactly stepping away from him.
They keep at it, trading jabs like it’s muscle memory, like teasing’s just how they talk. The three of them move like a unit. Quick jokes, shared glances. The kind of trust that runs deep enough to let your guard down. Bitterness hits low, not just at what they have, but at how easily they live inside it.
I’ve had people. But never that, never without my wall down.Maybe I never will.
“That was a bold move,” Rowan says, his voice quiet but firm enough to cut through Ezzy and Finn’s bickering. “Challenginga Veirmont. I don’t think he’s used to people standing their ground.”
“Definitely not from a cadet, let alone anOuterlander!” Finn smirks while he continues to elbow Ezzy.
I lift a shoulder. “Well, I’m not the type to back down...”
Rowan studies me. Not unkindly. Just… precise. “Probably for the best, then... that it didn’t escalate.” A pause. “Not sure you would have walked away from it clean.”
The words land harsher than they should. Not cruel and definitely not wrong. Still, the pressure in my chest builds, magic restless.
Hold it together, Lyra. We don’t need more enemies today.
And sure, friends are a liability, I know that, but even liabilities have their uses. And if I’m going to survive this place, I need more than just sharp edges, I need intel.
So I smile. Tight, controlled. “How about you three show me around?”
Ezzy steps forward, eyes beaming, like she’s just been waiting for the invitation.
