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"Careful, Eirea." I stop. Turn. Rhyven hasn't moved. His face is unreadable. Almost. Then his eyes drop to my mouth. Just once. Back to mine. "You already know that's not what stopped me." My brain ceases functioning. Completely. He turns. Walks away. Just leaves. I stand in the corridor. Alone. Staring after him. Oh. Oh, that absolute— I don't even have a word. Nyra appears around the corner. Stops. Looks at me. Then toward Rhyven's retreating back. Then back at me. Her eyes narrow. "What happened?"

"Nothing."

She stares. I can physically see her rejecting the answer. "Eirea."

"Not now."

Her expression changes. Slowly. Suspicion becoming certainty. Not about what. Only that there is something. She hooks her arm through mine. "Fine." A pause. "But you're telling me."

"No."

"Eventually."

"No."

"Good."

"That wasn't agreement."

"I know." Gods.

By afternoon the Academy knows only part of what happened. Aelindra's staff contained unknown residue. The Council is testing it. Nothing more. No mention of feeding. No mention of Blood Echo. No mention of what I saw. That's probably wise. Students are frightened enough.

Training continues. Of course. Classes continue. Of course. Everything continues. That is Varethia's answer to terror. Keep moving. Keep learning. Keep preparing.

At dinner, Caelen finally rejoins us. He sits beside me. Looks at my face. Then my hands.

"You alright?"

"Yes."

He believes me. Mostly. "Father said you handled it well."

I blink. "He did?"

Caelen smiles faintly. "His exact words were, 'She demonstrated appropriate restraint.'"

I stare. "That's practically a poem."

"I know."

We laugh. Small. Needed.

Across the dining hall, Rhyven sits with the other Chiefs. He does not look at me. Not once. I know because I check. Not constantly. Enough. He is infuriating. Nyra catches me the third time. Says nothing. Smiles. I kick her under the table. She kicks me back.

Cassian looks between us. "I feel excluded."

"You are." Nyra answers.

"Rude."

That night I cannot stop thinking about two things.

The first is Aelindra. Silence. The pale wardlight. The feeling of magic being pulled away. Nothing standing there. Nothing visible. Nothing to fight. The second...

Rhyven. You already know that's not what stopped me. I bury my face in my pillow. This is absurd. Five people are missing. Something may be feeding on magic. The Council is testing residue from an unknown threat. And apparently my brain has decided Rhyven Corvell almost kissed me and definitely still wants to deserves equal processing time. Pathetic. Absolutely pathetic. I roll onto my back. Stare at the ceiling. One thing is clear now.

Whatever is taking people it leaves absence behind.