We ate until we were warm and full, laughter drifting as easily as breath between us. Then Dormeal appeared at the door, his expression unreadable, eyes soft.
“The council is ready for you,” he said.
We rose—stronger, steadier, a little unnerved but ready. Together, we followed him back toward the Hall of Judicium.
We stood before the council once more, the Hall of Judicium glowing with that strange inner light that made shadows stretch too long and everything feel slightly… displaced. Dormeal stepped to the side as the elder in the center, the one with skin like bark and lavender eyes like Zander’s, rose from his elevated seat.
His voice was calm, but it carried like thunder through the high rafters. “We will provide you with the universal elixir. If your king’s ailment was caused by fae poison, this will purge it. But if there is a spell involved you will have to kill the one who cursed him.”
Relief tugged at my chest. “Thank you.”
But I hadn’t even finished speaking before his gaze landed on me again. Harder this time. Testing.
“As for the weapon you are requesting from the sanctuary… we will not hand it over simply because you ask,” he said. “Our aid in your war against the Blood Fae is not a gift. It must be earned.”
I swallowed and straightened. “How?”
“You breached the tunnel, yes,” he nodded. “Your dragons forced open the gateway through shared strength. But strength is not enough.”
His eyes flicked to Zander. “Can the two of you work together as one? Can Stormlight and Dark Fire flow as a single current? You were bonded by dragons, tethered by battle, but this… this is different.”
Zander stepped forward slightly, his voice controlled. “You want to know if we’re worthy of the power that was once bestowed on your champions.”
“Exactly.” The elder’s gaze gleamed. “Power does not yield to the divided. If you wish to wield what lies beneath this sanctuary, you must show us unity. Balance. Harmony.”
Not really our strong suit,I thought. But Zander’s hand brushed mine lightly, grounding me.
“What do we have to do?” I asked.
A woman on the council, the one with opalescent eyes and silver hair like spun glass, spoke for the first time. “Enter the Grove of Reflection. Let your magic merge. Let your souls speak. If there is a fracture between you, the grove will magnify it. If there is harmony, it will gift you clarity.”
“And if we fail?” Zander asked, his jaw tight.
The elder smiled softly. “Then you will know you were not meant to carry this burden. And the sanctuary will not open its deeper vaults to you.”
I glanced at Zander and felt the rise of Kaelith’s magic behind me like a tide. Hein stood beside her, watching us with an intensity that said he already knew what the grove might reveal.
Zander’s voice whispered in my ear. “We’ve come this far, storm girl. We can do this.”
I nodded.
“We’ll take the test.”
“Excellent,” the elder said, his fingers steepled before him. “Dormeal will lead you to the Grove of Reflection. Your friends will remain here.”
My gaze slid to the others. Ferrula gave a curt nod, Riven’s jaw was set with concern, and Remy had that unreadable calm he wore like armor. I didn’t need them to say anything. They’d wait.
Dormeal stepped forward, his robes whispering across the marble as he gestured for us to follow. “Come.”
Zander fell in beside me as we left the Hall of Judicium. The air outside was warm, threaded with golden light and the subtle perfume of citrus and salt. The path curved through ancient stone arches and flowering trees that pulsed with a faint magical hum, as if the land itself remembered the power it had once housed.
The grove revealed itself slowly, a circle of tall white trees with silver-veined leaves. A stream shimmered through the center, curling around a stone dais like it was guarding something sacred. Wildflowers bloomed in spirals beneath our boots, colors too vivid to be real.
Dormeal turned to us and motioned toward the grove. “Enter when ready. You must stand in the center. The grove will do the rest.”
Zander and I exchanged a glance, and I stepped forward first, feeling the warm thrum of the earth with every step. Zander followed, the space tightening around us with each movement until we reached the stone dais and stood side by side.
The moment our feet touched it, the world shifted.
