Two sets of eyes fixed on Esther.
Her mind went blank. “Maybe?”
Nythir’s sky-blue eyes darkened into a storm, jaw ticking.
Luna laughed. “Coy. I like it.”
“What do you mean, maybe?” Nythir growled.
Esther panicked. “I didn’t agree to anything, but the arrangement—well—I ran away—so maybe—”
“So that’s what you’re running from,” Nythir said, smirking as if it weighed nothing.
She had said too much.
Esther grabbed the sweet drink Luna had set before her and chugged it.
“Woah!” Luna cheered. “Look at her go! Chug! Chug!”
Soon, Esther was several drinks deep, laughter spilling from her like sunlight.
Then she and Luna were dancing in the center of the tavern, spinning wildly as a cheering crowd gathered.
Strong hands caught her by the waist, pulling her close.
“Are you having fun?” Nythir asked, his voice warm against her ear.
“So much fun!” she shouted, breathless.
Maybe her father had been wrong. Maybe alcohol didn’t make her magic worse.
Maybe… freedom did.
Or maybe—it was being allowed to be herself. But she didn’t yet know what that truly meant.
“Dance with me,” Esther twirled, throwing her arms around Nythir’s neck.
His calm persona cracked, and she glimpsed a momentary look of shock on his face.
“Your wish is my command,” he chuckled. The slight sound sent warmth rushing through her. “But not here.”
Nythir guided her gently through the overcrowded tavern and into the crisp night air. The chill caressed her flushed cheeks.
She didn’t know if she felt so warm from the alcohol or from the way Nythir’s long fingers clasped hers.
She settled on both—but mostly Nythir. She did not want him to notice how much he affected her.
As always, her magic betrayed her. Sparks flickered along her fingers. She tried to pull away, but he held tighter.
Instead of scattering, the sparks settled into a slower rhythm, matching the calm cadence of Nythir’s magic. Where her power usually surged and recoiled, it now moved with purpose. Not restrained. Not silenced. Simply guided. The realization left her breathless.
“I don’t know how,” Esther muttered, eyes on their moving feet.
“What don’t you know?”
“Heart and mirrors.”
“What about them?”
