The courtyard had thinned by midday, sunlight spilling across the pale stone in warm, golden pools, scattering shadows that stretched like long fingers. My arms ached pleasantly, the muscles humming from the tension of the morning exercises. My mind, though, buzzed with the memory of the orbs—the way they had obeyed me without conscious thought. I wasn’t sure if it had been luck, instinct, or something else entirely, but the thought made my chest tighten, a mix of anticipation and fear curling low in my stomach.
Fen followed silently, a few paces behind, cloak brushing the stone with every step. I could feel the faint pull—the same instinctive draw I sensed when magic surged—like a current threading between us. Every tilt of my head, every shift of my weight, every subtle motion of my han
