Serenya is mid-sip when she sees me and nearly chokes. Alira lets out a shriek that turns into a laugh when she realizes who it is.
"Are you insane?!" Serenya hisses, scrambling up, cheeks flushed.
"Absolutely," I say. "But look, we brought gifts." I produce a bottle of wine and a bundle of wrapped chocolates from my coat. "Bribery. In honor of Alira's birthday."
Alira grins and takes the wine. "You’re forgiven."
Torin gives her a boyish shrug as he passes her the chocolates. "Climbingfivestories for this better be worth it."
Serenya rolls her eyes, failing to hide her smile. "You're lucky the guards didn't see you."
"Weareguards," Torin points out.
"Which makes this worse," Alira teases, swatting his shoulder.
We gather on the floor, the girls in their nightgowns, us boys stretching out lazily in borrowed blankets. Laughter bubbles between us as we pass the wine and play a card game Alira made up.
By the time the candles burn low, Alira has dozed off against Torin's chest, his arm wrapped protectively around her.
I watch them for a moment, a soft smile on my lips. I turn to Serenya. "Come," I say quietly, standing and holding out a hand for her.
She takes it without hesitation, and we step out onto the moonlit balcony. A warm summer breeze blows her hair into herface, and I brush it back with my fingers.
We sit together, her resting between my legs with her back against my chest and my arms wrapped around her.
"It's peaceful," she murmurs. "I like quiet nights. I like wine andstars and chocolate."
"And me?"
"You're tolerable." She smirks.
I give her a dramatic sigh, then lean closer, nuzzling her neck with exaggerated sadness. "Tolerable? Afterallmy devotion?"
She giggles and tries to squirm away, but I hold her close. Our laughter fades slowly, replaced by a silence that feels too full to speak into. The kind of silence that wraps around two people like a secret.
My voice is quieter when I say, "I like this. Being here. With you. No armor. No duty. Just you, Renya."
She doesn’t answer with words. Her shadows wrap up my arms, rubbing against my cheek as she reaches for my hand and threads our fingers together.
We sit that way for a while, wrapped in a blanket with stars above and the sound of cicadas filling the air.
Chapter 17
?---- Serenya ? ----?
The council chamber is quieter than usual, the steady flicker of the hearth casting thin shadows along the walls. I sit at my mother’s right hand, the long polished table stretching out between ministers, advisors, and generals. Their voices blend into a low drone, the familiar rhythm of court politics.
“…the southern caravans are still delayed by the spring floods,” Lord Cahir rumbles, tapping one thick finger against the map laid out before him. “If the rains continue, we’ll need to reroute the grain shipments.”
“That will raise costs,” Minister Hazen says with a pinched expression. He’s already shuffling through his parchments, searching for numbers he’ll wield like weapons. “We can’t afford to waste coinwhen our trade routes east have yet to stabilize.”
Across the table, Councilor Veyra lifts her chin. “Then perhaps the humans should be taxed higher for the privilege of passing through our borders. They clog the roads as it is, and Eiravareth sends more traders across the sea each season,claiming they want nothing to do with our politics while involving themselves in every market we have.”
I glance at my mother. Her expression doesn’t shift. She listens, serene as a statue carved from ice, only speaking when she decides the rest of them have tangled themselves in enough knots.
I fight to keep my posture the same—straight, impassive, and untouchable. However, I’m restless on the inside. The conversation continues on, circling over patrol schedules and merchant contracts, and all I can think of are the flooded ruins where Koen and the others are fighting their way through the second trial. My nails dig into the carved armrest.
“…the shipment from Elowen’s court will arrive by the next moon,” Hazen is saying now, adjusting the parchment in his hands. “As agreed, her merchants will provide rare glasswork and distilled moonwine in exchange for—”
