Mariel pops a raspberry and side-eyes me. “So… sleep well?”
I sip my pear juice. “Perfectly. Thanks for asking.”
“Mmhmm.” She nudges my foot. “Still waking up in a cave bed, or has royalty learned to share?”
Before I can answer, Seraphina sets her cup down with delicate precision. “It’s no mystery why the king takes such a… generous… interest.”
“He’s training me for the Trial,” I say, keeping my voice level.
“Of course he is,” she purrs. “A crown-shaped safety net. How quaint.”
Mariel cuts her a look, but I refuse to take the bait.
Across from us, Cassy reaches for bread but doesn’t lift it. Her fingers tremble. “The flame burns brightest just before it dies,” she whispers.
We all turn.
“What was that?” Mariel asks, voice soft with worry.
Cassy blinks. “Nothing. Just a thought.”
It isn’t. Not with the haunted hollowness in her eyes.
The silence stretches thin between us.
I lean in. “We’re walking into the Trial blind. I’m training with Keiren, but that’s not enough. We need to get stronger. All of us. Together.”
Seraphina arches a brow. “You want a group lesson?”
“Yes. We’ve survived this long; we owe each other more than luck.”
“I’m in,” Mariel says immediately.
Cassy meets my gaze and gives the faintest nod.
Seraphina smirks. “I don’t need remedial sparring to prove my worth. But if you’re offering a fight…”
“Training,” I correct her.
“Same thing.”
I push my plate away. “It’s settled, then. I’ll speak to Keiren.”
“Of course you will.” Seraphina rolls her eyes.
I stand, the summer sunlight hot across my neck. Inside me, a wick catches.
We’ll prepare. For whatever comes.
The training chamber comes to life when we enter. Enchanted torches flare, and shadows tuck themselves into the carved ribs of stone. Racks of weapons gleam like teeth. As we wait, we stretch in a loose ring, following the warmups Keiren has drilled into me.
Finally, the doors swing open, and Keiren strides in, dressed in black leather and sharp annoyance. His eyes find mine first, slide to the others, then back to me, laden with a single question:What have you done now, Fire?
Mariel rolls a shoulder. Cassy hovers near the wall, pale but present. Seraphina leans on a pillar, inspecting her nails, bored.
Keiren stops for a beat, his jaw tight. “This is not what we discussed.”
I meet him halfway, voice low. “Then we’re discussing it now.”
