The girl flinched. “I had to do something.” Her hair fell forward as she ducked her head. “I wasn’t selected last term. I needed to show them I’m worthy.”
Cassidy sighed, placing a hand gently on the girl’s uninjured shoulder. “The only thing you showed them was that you’re impulsive and maybe a little desperate.”
Tears welled in the girl’s wide eyes. “But... I need this.”
Emmaline stepped closer, her brow furrowed as she glanced at Cassidy. “She doesn’t understand, does she? What it’s like?”
The girl blinked up at her.
“What’s what like?” Cassidy’s brow arched in a mix of curiosity and mild annoyance.
“To give everything you’ve got for a single opportunity.” Emmaline folded her arms. “To know you only have one shot to get it right.”
The girl froze, her mouth falling open slightly before she quickly pressed her lips together, nodding.
Emmaline shifted her weight, one hand gripping her hip as she leaned forward. “Do you know what Lyra did to convince Cerridwyn to take her? To get accepted here?” She gestured broadly around the room.
“What?” the girl asked, her voice faint as Cassidy rummaged through the nearby shelf and pulled out a jar, unscrewing the lid with a practiced twist.
“She ran the whole damn Maze without her Corgi—or any weapons.” Emmaline’s voice dropped like she was revealing a forbidden secret.
Cassidy smirked as she worked, carefully applying salve to the girl’s bandaged arm. “Without any shoes, either, from what I heard.”
“Without any shoes,” Emmaline agreed with a firm nod, stepping closer to the girl. “Just her head and her heart.”
“That’s impossible.” The girl’s eyes shimmered.
Cassidy finished the last of the dressing, straightening up with a satisfied exhale.
“Nothing’s impossible in the Vale, recruit.” She guided the girl to her feet. “You just have to keep your head on your shoulders and your heart intact.”
“Right,” the girl said, her steps hesitant at first, then quicker as she moved toward the door.
“Which you won’t accomplish by taking foolhardy risks like jumping the Heights on your own,” Cassidy added.
“Yes, Mistress.” She dipped her head and then turned and left the room.
Emmaline watched her go. She hoped the girl found her Corgi.
“You know.” Cassidy broke through her thoughts. “Your situation is different, Ems. And you’re not Lyra. What happened to that woman wasn’t an act of bravery.”
The words hit like a bucket of icy water, extinguishing the small flicker of warmth Emmaline had felt moments before. She turned to face her friend. “I thought we agreed the discussion was over—and that you’dsupport me.”
Cassidy set down the jar she’d been cleaning with a sharp clink, turning to Emmaline with a weary expression. “You’re putting me in a difficult position. Not to mention Lara.”
Emmaline’s eyes widened. “You told her?”
“No!” Cassidy snapped, then exhaled. “But I have to shield this from her, and it’s… it’s hard. It hurts our Bond. And it’s affecting our ability to heal together.”
“Shite. I didn’t know that. I’m sorry.”
Cassidy waved off the apology, busying herself by tidying the space, though her movements were sharper than usual. “Yes, well… nothing to do about it now.”
“You can’t tell her.”
Corgis were notorious for their sense of right and wrong, and Lara would never let this go if she found out.
“I know that!” Cassidy snapped again, her fist clenching tightly at her side before she forced herself to take a steadying breath. “But Lara will sense the lie sooner or later, Ems. She always does.”
