Musty, wet earth and rock assaulted my senses. The ground at my bare feet was flat and even, unlike the rocky terrain of the underground tunnels. As we strayed deeper, the sound of the vicious storm outside melted into the background.
The path ahead of us became clearer as my eyes adjusted. Shadows of our figures formed on the dark brown and stone walls, almost as if?—
“Is that light?” Leo asked, squinting. Rissa shot forward before we could stop her.
“Rissa?” Lark’s voice called out from further in the cave. “Rose, Leo, are you there?” Her words echoed around us. Within moments, the tunnels opened up to a cavern the size of several rooms, with our two friends huddled around a circle of twigs, leaves, and a small but vibrant fire. At the far side of the space were three more tunnels, their paths visible by the light of the flames. Rissa set the pheasant down at Horace’s feet and nearly stuck her nose into the flames to seek warmth.
“Are you alright?” Lark asked, her eyes sweeping over us. I nodded, slumping to the ground before the crackling fire.
“How did you two manage this?” Leo motioned to the fire pit.
“Some of us know how to start a fire without magic,” Horace responded.
Leo ignored him. “Lark, please tell me this enchantment is temporary. That my sister won’t be stuck as her fox half forever.”
“I promise, it will wear off,” she assured him. “It was meant to last less than twelve hours. As long as our clothes are dry and wepass any water we may have ingested, our magic will come back by then.”
I could practically feel the relief in the cave as her words washed over us.Temporary. My magic wasn’t gone for good.
But a lot could happen in twelve hours.
Looking out of the corner of his eye at the dead bird on the ground, Horacehmphed. “Guess that’s our dinner.” Rissa curled into a ball beside the fire and licked her paw. “Can I borrow your dagger, Rose?” Horace asked. “I’ll get this on the fire soon.”
I handed over the weapon, and he and Leo sauntered off to the side to defeather and prepare the bird. Silence filled our little pocket of the cave.
Even though I knew our magic would come back, I couldn’t help but feel some resentment toward the whole situation. Glaring at Lark, I hissed, “What kind of a trial is this? Whose idea wasmagic-stealing rain?”
She winced. “Well, technically, the initial idea was mine—but I had no idea how far Gayl would take it.”
“Yes, who would have guessed?” I said with a sarcastic laugh, ringing out the water from my clothes. “Because our emperor has always shown suchmercyandconsideration. Why would he ever take a trial too far?”
I knew my ire wasn’t helping, but the pit in my chest where my magic once resided made it difficult to feel much else. Except anger. Anger, I could feel. Anger was safe.
“I’m sorry, Rose. I know it doesn’t mean anything given the circumstances, but I was simply doing my job. The emperor—he wanted something that had never been done before. Something radical.” Lark sighed and leaned back on her hands. There was a weariness in her dark eyes, the faint wrinkles on her face more prominent in the firelight. My irritation eased a fraction seeing how much this affected her.
“You don’t understand what it’s like, being not only the youngest head architect, but the firstfemaleone,” she said. “The weight of centuries of tournaments was on my shoulders. Andwhile it had been the Sentinels' hope from the beginning to get me elected, it still felt likemine. Something I could take pride in, even if I hated working for Emperor Gayl. Even if I knew I wasn’t in it for the glory, but to make change.
“I had everything to prove and everything to lose. And I—I might have gotten caught up in the intrigue of it all,” Lark admitted, moving forward to rub her hands together over the fire. “The might of the trials, the ability to create from the ground up, the experiments with magic I’d never thought possible. I didn’t want my work to hurt anyone, but it was ignorant to believe these trials wouldn’t have consequences. And I’m sorry you’re suffering through them, Rose. I’m sorry for the hand I played, and that it’s my fault for forcing you to compete in the first place.”
The fire crackled between us, casting shadows on the cave wall that twisted and twined with one another. I wouldn’t want to be in her position, having to balance what’s expected of you and what you feel is right, knowing the eyes of the most powerful man in the empire were on you every step of the way.
“It wasn’t your fault,” I finally said. “I could have refused. But…I guess I understand the idea of pride and glory. I wanted a bit of that for myself, if I’m being honest. To prove what I could do.” Pausing, I pressed my lips together, mulling over my next words. “I know we’re on the same side, Lark. I don’twantto be mad at you. It’s just…it’s difficult to separate you from the trials. You fromhim.” I looked away and tugged at the pins in my hair to let my dark locks fall around me, needing to give my hands something to do.
“I understand,” she said softly. “I would be angry with me too, trust me.”
I gave her a half smile. “Iamtrying. I promise. I know how much the Sentinels mean to you, and how much you love these three especially.” My gaze fell on Rissa and Leo and Horace across the cave, then down to my fingers as they fidgeted with the ends of my sheer dress. “As easy as it is to be angry with you, I know who I should really be directing it toward. And I think you’re incrediblybrave for facing him day after day and not letting him…get in your head. Not letting him distract you from what truly matters.”
I know how easy it is to give in, was what I wanted to say, but she seemed to understand my unspoken words.
“Power such as his can get to even the best of us, Rose,” Lark said, her tone heavy. “I don’t know what you’ve been through or what your meetings under the guise of spying for the Sentinels entailed, but if you ever want to talk…I’m here.”
I nodded swiftly, still unused to the idea of these genuine friendships I’d made with the people in this cave. Rissa unfurled herself and padded over to me, laying back down on the ground and resting her head on my knee. My nerves settled, and for the first time since we landed in this nightmare, I felt the unease lifting.
By the timewe’d eaten a dinner of cooked pheasant, our clothes had mostly dried and our eyelids were heavy with fatigue. We’d been awake for most of the night and the stress on our bodies had finally caught up to us. I watched Rissa’s yellow eyes glaze over as she lay next to Lark, her lids falling shut every few seconds until the fire would crackle loudly and her sharp ears would shoot up, her eyes flying open.
I leaned against Leo, the hypnotizing flames lulling me to sleep as I ran my fingers gently over the exposed skin at his back. It was amazing how my healing charms and his Shifter magic had almost entirely closed the wounds. He still moved stiffly, but compared to what it had looked like mere hours ago, it was nothing short of a miracle.
“You should get some rest,” he whispered before kissing my temple. I never thought I’d be the kind of woman to crave these simple touches, but I’d found over the past weeks that I loved how casually he showed his affection. How difficult it was for him to keephis hands away from me, even if it was a quick brush of his thumb against mine.
