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"What happened?" I ask.

"The bracelet. It interrupted me."

I frown.

"What did it say?" Cassian asks.

"It said only I may give instructions." Nyra answers.

The Academy has not simply chosen a leader. It has removed ours. Leadership no longer belongs to the loudest voice. Only to the one responsible for everyone else.

We continue. Every step feels uncertain. The ground beneath our boots changes constantly. Stone. Grass. Packed earth. Wood. I begin counting paces. Thirty-seven. A turn. Twenty-two. Another. At least numbers remain trustworthy. Probably.

The darkness smells faintly of rain. No...Not rain. Old stone.

"Eirea?" Nyra's voice.

"Yes?" I answer.

"How close are you?"

I extend one hand. My fingers brush fabric. Her sleeve.

"I'm here." I answer.

"Good. I've got you." She laughs softly. "I've got all of you."

Something about that sentence makes me smile. She doesn't sound confident. She sounds determined. Those are not the same thing.

The first obstacle arrives without warning. Nyra stops so abruptly that I nearly collide with her.

"What is it?" I ask,

"My bracelet..." A pause. "There's a wall."

Rowan snorts. "I assumed there were walls."

"No." Nyra swallows. "It says the walls move."

Wonderful.

"Can you hear them?" Cassian asks.

We all listen. At first... Nothing. Then— Stone. Grinding slowly somewhere ahead. Heavy. Rhythmic. Like enormous gears turning beneath the earth.

"The bracelet says...Wait."

So we wait. The grinding continues. Closer. Farther. Closer again. The temptation to move becomes almost unbearable. Waiting without understanding is surprisingly difficult.

Then Nyra inhales sharply. "It says go."

We take three careful steps. "Stop."

The grinding becomes deafening. Something massive passes directly in front of us. I feel the movement against my skin. Air displaced by stone. If we had continued... I don't finish the thought.

"Go." Five more steps. "Stop."

Again. Again. Again. The Trial reduces movement to trust. I cannot see the walls. I cannot judge distance. All I can do is believe Nyra heard correctly.