MAETHYS POV
Night had settled fully when Nayla and I left my room.
Someone I passed in the corridor had pointed me in the right direction—behind the main building, lights still on—and I’d thanked them.
Nayla made her way to Trig, I continued on to Valik’s house.
St first, I felt fine. But with each step moving closer, my nerves starting buzzing under my skin.
I stood on the small stone path leading to Valik’s door. The house itself was… nice. Not ostentatious. Solid. Wood and stone, built to last. The kind of place that made sense for him.
There were lights on inside, a warm glow spilling through the windows, and I hovered there longer than necessary, adjusting my grip on the box like it might anchor me.
Just knock, I told myself.
So I did, my one hand gripping the box with w
