“Yes, Cadet Caelwyn,” he continues, “since you were kind enough to introduce me to our newest student, let’s have her join us for this one. I’m very eager to see this potential High Chancellor Merrin speaks so highly of.”
Wait—
What?
The words hit like cold water poured straight into my lungs. Chest locks, breath won’t come. Threads twist, pulse—No. They scream.
Beside me, Ezzy stills. The flush drains from her face. She turns—wide-eyed, stricken—mouthingsorrylike it might undo what she’s just done. Like she didn’t just hand me to the wolves.
“Cadet Bloom,” Quinn calls. “Please come join us.”
CHAPTER NINE
The room tilts, or maybe that’s just my stomach dropping out. Down in front, Talen watches with that fucking grin—crooked and hungry, like he’s been waiting for this moment. Like this is what he was planning all along.
Shit.If I’d just kept my head down, if Ezzy hadn’t singled me out, hadn’t introduced me, maybe Talen wouldn’t have noticed. Maybe Quinn wouldn’t be so eager to test me.
Pressure builds behind my eyes, pulsing in time with the pounding in my chest—too fast, too loud, too much. Magic tangled with fear and fury, hot and rising, wild in the cage of my ribs. But I hold my breath and clamp it down, just a little longer, I need every ounce of control for what’s coming.
Ezzy’s fingers jab at my side. “You’ve got this,” she whispers.
Liar. Her voice is shaky, and that smile she’s forcing? Doesn’t touch her eyes.
“Cadet Bloom?” Quinn calls again. “Please join us. Participation is mandatory. No room for refusals.”
He says it so casually, like we didn’t just watch someone die on that platform. Like Renn’s body isn’t still slumped there, neck bent wrong, eyes wide open, blood pooling beneath him.
God, just one thing, just one fucking thing. Let me get through this Demonstration without ending up like him.
“I’m sure Cadet Ryven will be considerate,” he adds, smiling like he actually believes it. “He’ll take it easy; it is your first Demonstration, after all.”
Yeah.Fucking fat chance.The last time I saw Ryven, he was spitting on my boots in the hallway and calling me aScraplander. And now he’s down there on the platform, grin wide and sharp. He looks like the kind of sadistic kid who used to torture cats and burn ants for fun. And right now? He’s looking at me like I’m his new pet project.
Ezzy gives me another shove, harder this time. “Trust me,” she whispers fast, eyes wide, “the consequences of not going are far worse. You’ll be okay...”
But I don’t move. Can’t. My legs feel locked, like stone.
Because my Threads? Air and Water. Yeah, technically I’ve used them to avoid situations, redirect trouble, slip out clean when things went sideways.
But control? Actual combat? Real, lethal, sanctioned combat—against someone who’s probably been melting targets since they could walk?
A cough echoes up from the platform below, Quinn, arms crossed now, impatience etched into every line of his stance. Ryven’s still smirking like this is all a game. And beside him—Talen.
No. I can’t let him, a fucking Veirmont, see me freeze. See me cower.
Okay, come on Lyra. Move. Youcando this. You do this… Right?
A bracing tightness rolls through me as I drag in air. One breath, then another as I peel myself off the bench like I’m pulling free from chains. My legs shake, but they move and somehow, I’m standing. Somehow, I’m walking.
The descent from the top row feels endless. My boots scrape loudly against the stone, echoing in the hush. Every eye tracks me. Every step dragging heavier.
Okay. What’s the plan? What’s the strategy? How the hell are you going to survive this?
Merrin thinks I have potential, right? High Chancellor of the fucking Citadel, maybe he knows something I don’t. Maybe there’s something buried in me, something that’s enough to get through this.
Ryven’s trained. I’m not. But he’s cocky and Talen just said it: emotions get you killed. Maybe that’s the crack. Maybe that’s where I hit.
The wood creaksunder my boots as I step on to the platform. A second ago, the amphitheatre felt massive, the space stretching out in front of me. Now, it couldn’t feel smaller, especially as I step in front of Talen.
