We didn’t wait.
The Sun Eaters had Silverglade and they knew about Aria now. If we waited, they’d come for the Citadel next. And regular weapons didn’t work on them. Only shadow.
Problem: Aria was 7 weeks old and had never consciously used shadow. All her Moonblood so far had been silver light, bright and hot and loud.
So we started in the deepest part of the Citadel’s underground training halls. No windows. No torches. Just pure dark.
Aria sat on my lap on a blanket, gold eyes wide in the black. She didn’t cry. She just watched, alert, like she’d been waiting for this.
“She’s never done this before,” I told Elias, who stood beside us with his dagger ready. “If it goes wrong, you pull her back. You’re the shield.”
Elias nodded, serious for a 5-year-old. “I’ve got her.”
Darius stood
