The training grounds had been transformed into an open arena. Rings of stone circled the grounds, each humming faintly with old warding runes designed to keep the worst of the damage inside. Morning sun filtered through the trees, casting shifting shadows over the combat field, and at its heart, Rose stood with arms folded, her blue eyes steady.
Breakfast had passed in a blur. Everyone had been waiting for her—Marcus, Leo, Lira, and a dozen others. The mood had been light, buzzing with excitement and nerves. It was Combat Day. The day where everyone tested their limits—and occasionally their tempers.
Rose hadn’t said much.
Now, barefoot in the training sand, her cloak tossed aside, her scars and magic bare to the world, she waited.
The first match went to the twins—two Fae warriors who
