Training looked simple from the outside. It wasn’t.
Moira chalked three rings on the stone floor: a small center ring, a middle ring around it, and a broad ring beyond. She set the twins in the center on a low pallet with blankets and toys. Ravyn, Grayson, and Cassian stood in the middle ring, hands almost—but not quite—touching. Moira, Eryx, and three witches took the outer ring.
“We are not summoning him,” Moira said, meeting Cassian’s eyes. “We are teaching your body what it feels like to hold while you are safe. I can mimic the pressure—nothing more. If you are overwhelmed, you say so. We stop.”
Cassian nodded once. “Do it.”
Moira raised her palm toward the ceiling. The sigils along the rafters brightened, then dimmed to a low glow. The air pressed inward a fraction, the way air do
