My tray slipped from my hands.
The crash rang out like thunder, metal on stone, splinters of sound that cut straight through the rising hum of voices in the great hall.
Heads turned.
But mine didn’t.
My body moved on instinct, down, down, fingers trembling as they scrambled to gather the pieces but failing to do so, forcing composure into my limbs before the cracks could show. I tried to look calm. Normal. Like my heart hadn’t just been impaled.
But the world had tilted.
And I was the only one falling.
My name came from somewhere behind me. Once. Then again.
“Ava?” Selene’s voice. Then softer, closer. “Ava, hey, ”
It barely reached me.
Because I was already staring at her.
Julia.
Poised like a crowned swan in the center of the room, draped in silver that shimmered b
