The three of them, Mae, Ashar, and Riven, walked deeper into the hills beyond the restored castle grounds, where shimmering grass grew thick between cracks of obsidian-like stone, and the air shimmered faintly with the last remnants of what used to be a broken world. Ashar was ahead, moving silently through the trees, checking terrain, scanning for anything alive, or dangerous. Riven hung back beside Mae, more alert than he let on, his usual humor muted under a quiet tension.
For a while, they walked in silence. Then Riven said, softly, “You know, I didn’t even want to be at that auction.” Mae glanced sideways. “Then why were you there?”
He gave a half-laugh. “Ashar was curious. Not like, hey let’s buy a slave curious, but curious about why the Council put that kind of price on someone t
