Besides, none of the rest of this stuff was ever really mine anyway.
I told Maddie I’d meet her at the training yard. But first, I had something I had to do. One more time.
Just once more.
Leo was curled up on the rug, arm tucked under his head, the other flung dramatically across his chest like he’d passed out mid-performance. His curls caught the firelight, soft and unruly. His snores echoed around the room.
I knelt beside him, brushing one back from his brow.
“Thank you for seeing the good in me,” I whispered. “Even when I couldn’t.”
I kissed his cheek, gentle as dusk. He murmured softly, smiling at my touch in his sleep.
Slade was half-slumped against the wall, chin resting on his chest, arms crossed in that way he always sat—like he was on guard even in sleep. One boot was still on. The other was off. It made me smile.
I crouched beside him, pressing a hand to his chest just briefly.
“Thank you for protecting me, even when I didn’t want to be protected.”
I leaned forward and kissed the edge of his jaw.
He stirred slightly but didn’t wake.
Phoenix lay stretched out on the bed, one arm over his eyes, his book forgotten beside him. His breathing was deep, steady. Calm.
I stood over him for a long moment.
“Thank you,” I murmured, “for never asking for more than I could give.”
I bent and pressed a kiss to the back of his hand, fingers still curled around the edge of the blanket.
Then I stepped back, standing in the middle of the room, heart breaking in the quiet.
“I’m so sorry.” I whispered. But then I turned and left them behind.
Chapter 30
Elira
The halls were quiet as I made my way down to the training grounds. I spotted Maddie huddled by a window in the corner and rushed over.
“You made it.” I whispered.
She winced, looking terrified. “Never say I don’t do anything for you,” she muttered.
The training hall was silent at this hour, the kind of silence that felt thick and ancient. Shadows clung to the high beams overhead, creeping along the stone floor like they knew what we were about to do.
I stood just behind Maddie, every sense on edge. My heart hammered so loud I was sure she could hear it. My breath came shallow, but my hands—gods, somehow—they stayed steady.
Maddie crouched near the narrow, arched window that overlooked the southern wall. She pressed her palms to the cold stone, fingers splayed wide. I could barely hear the words she whispered, too soft and old to understand—like a prayer made of wind and dust.
The stone beneath her hands began to glow.
Lines of silver shimmered into view—thin threads of warding magic woven across the opening like a living net. Maddie’s brow furrowed in focus, and a bead of sweat traced a path down her temple. Her eyes flickered. One second their usualwarm brown, the next glowing faintly with something deeper, older.
“Elle…” she whispered, voice strained. “I’m going to stretch it—just enough for you to slip through. But I have to anchor the edges. If I don’t, it’ll snap back and trigger the tower alarm.”
I swallowed hard and gave a sharp nod. “Do it.”
