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"Can I go to the stables for a bit?" I asked, hope tinging my voice.

"No can do, Duskbound. Think we would let youmiss the best food we've had in months?" Rethlyn jumped in, rubbing his hands together and licking his lips, practically bouncing with anticipation.

"We’re taking a right here, Fia." Vexa motioned ahead, taking us down a different path that wound between two imposing structures.

"Best food?" I asked, regretfully skeptical about the truth in that, but I didn’t dare voice it.

"Hot buns," Rethlyn said with a grin that stretched from ear to ear. "It takes forever to save enough ingredients for the kitchen staff to make them. They taste like the old days." His eyes glazed over with nostalgia.

"They're... certainly better than rice," Effie added. She had been so quiet, I nearly forgot she was trailing behind us, her footsteps barely making a sound.

"Don't try and deny it, Effie. I watched you shove three into your mouth last quarter when you thought no one was looking." Vexa let out a cackle that echoed off the stone walls.

Effie simply nudged her, making a clicking noise with her tongue, a slight blush creeping up her neck. "They're edible, I suppose. A girl needs her sustenance."

Aether looked to be in his own world, his eyes unfocused as he watched several Vördr glide through the mist on the horizon, their dark forms cutting clean lines through the haze. His brow furrowed in concentration, deep in thought, as his fingers thrummed along his weapon belt.

“Who were those men outside the Citadel? The ones in gray uniforms?” I asked casually. They seemed intent on shrouding their presence in secrecy, but there was no shame in simply inquiring.

Aether’s jaw clenched, finally waking from whatever trance had taken hold of him.

“No one you want to concern yourself with. And now's not thetime,” he muttered, but the subtle shift in his demeanor was unmistakable. Now I was even more curious.

“Valkan—it’s his men? Who is that?” I continued.

“Not. Now. Fia.” He let out a hiss, eyes sweeping over our surroundings.

I decided to let it go, for now.

We approached a large stone building which seemed to be closer to the heart of the fortress. The dark walls blended into the surrounding battlements. Vexa stepped forward to pull on the heavy doors, their hinges groaning in protest, allowing us inside. I took in the vast hall and the iron chandeliers that cast a flickering light around the room, shadows dancing across the walls. Its vaulted ceiling was held aloft by towering pillars etched with insignias similar to those pressed into their leathers. Long wooden tables stretched in neat rows, worn smooth by years of people passing through, their surface scratched and dented.

At the far end, a massive hearth blazed, the scent of freshly baked bread filling the air and making my mouth water involuntarily. Kitchen workers stood behind a simple serving counter, their faces flushed from the heat as they handed out loaves straight from the fire. The noise of the room was a steady hum of conversation, punctuated by the scrape of chairs and occasional laughter.

"Go pick out a table, I'll grab us a tray." Rethlyn nearly got out before he bounded towards the opposite side of the room, weaving between tables.

I slid into the cool surface of a wooden chair, blatantly aware of the eyes that had fallen on me from across the room. I tucked a white wisp of hair behind the points of my ears. There was something peculiar about exploring more of the estate, witnessing where my former adversary performed mundane tasks like dining and mingling. These aspects had never crossed my mind previously, and it cast them in an unexpectedly relatable light that caught me somewhat off guard.

No one had mentioned the Strykka since we left Urkin's office, and it hung in the air around us. Lael would be entering the trials this year—the sixteen-year-old boy I’d seen training in the city. The one Aether had saved from Croyg. So it couldn't be that dangerous, could it? The thought provided little comfort.

I had agreed to enter the Void, but the Strykka, well, I knew nothing about it. The weight of my ignorance pressed against me.

Rethyln arrived with the tray loaded with steaming loaves, one already sticking out of his mouth. All hands dove towards the tower of rolls, and I waited until everyone seemed content before grabbing my own.

"Tell me about the Strykka," I said, aimed in Aether's direction for some reason I couldn't quite place. Vexa, of course, answered in his stead.

"There are three rounds—well, two if you're not selected for the Spectre Unit." Her words carried a hint of pride.

Spectre Unit? More vocabulary I wasn't aware of.

"The Spectre Unit—Aether's unit, includes all of us, the vessels.” Vexa motioned around the table. “It’s a part of the combat forces, under Urkin," she continued, leaning forward slightly. "The first trial is basic combat, hand to hand. I wouldn't worry so much about that, we're in desperate need of soldiers, so our expectations have definitely… leveled out." She pursed her lips, a shadow of concern crossing her features. "Then there's the tether observation. You will show the Council your, well, for the rest of us, we show our tethers… you'll display… whatever it is that you can do."

"Lovely," Effie echoed, observing her nails with exaggerated disinterest.

"Effie, it wasn't personal. I was panicking. Trying to get back to my home," I said, eyes drilling into her. As if that wasn't inherently obvious

She simply sat back in her chair and crossed her arms, twisting a curl of raven hair through her fingers.

"She'll get over it. Eventually." Vexa's eyes wandered over to Effie in a way that seemed intimate, like I should look away. I could have sworn Effie brought her knee against Vexa's under the table, the two now sharing a quick smirk.