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“Come on, my brave little lioness,” Niyx said affectionately, moving closer to activate theValispatharound them. “Let’s get you home.”

Soraya took off before they did in a burst of shadow and light. Every time Alex saw her do that, she was amazed anew by the wolf’s antithetical ability. She looked forward to when the puppy-not-puppy was grown enough to take her along for the ride—something Niyx believed would be any day now, since Soraya’s head currently reached above Alex’s stomach. A few more inches and she’d be considered a fully developed Shadow Wolf.

My baby’s growing up so fast, Alex thought with amusement as she and Niyx moved impossibly fast towards the academy.

As per normal, theValispathbegan to slow as the Ezera Forest came to an end and the campus spread out before them. Their speed, while still swift, was now leisurely enough for them to see three early Saturday risers wandering the campus.

The first was Fletcher, who was walking from the food court to the Med Ward, presumably having just eaten his breakfast and now readying himself for a day of treating patients.

The second was Administrator Jarvis, who was sitting on a blanket by the lake with a steaming mug and book in hand.

The third Alex didn’t see until they were soaring over the archery fields, but there was no mistaking her Meyarin instructor getting in some early morning practice while no one was around to witness just how far she could shoot.

Watching her teacher, Alex realised she’d never told Niyx about Maggie leaving Meya to adopt the guise of ‘Aeylia’. She wondered if he’d known the female Meyarin back then, considering her brother was one of Aven’s earlyGarseth.

She opened her mouth to share what she’d learned as they moved swiftly overhead, too fast for a human to notice. But since Maggie was Meyarin, she looked up right as Niyx glanced down, and all Alex managed to say was, “Hey, did you know that—”, before theValispathdissolved around them and both she and Niyx tumbled out of the sky.

Fortunately, they hadn’t been cruising too high and they also managed to fall onto a thick snowdrift, but Alex was still painfully winded and had to lay motionless on the ground as she fought to get her breath back.

“What the hell, Niyx?” she wheezed when she could finally draw air into her lungs. The only way they could have fallen was from an extreme lapse in his concentration, but she was shocked that with his experience such a thing had happened.

Turning her head, she realised she wasn’t the only one who was shocked—Niyx was wide-eyed on the ground beside her, and the white-faced Maggie stood above him…

… with an arrow drawn and pointed at his heart.

Niyx slowly raised his hands, showing he was unarmed. But the action didn’t cause Maggie to relax; she tensed even more, her aim unwavering.

Still slightly winded, the little air Alex had managed to inhale froze in her chest and she hurriedly said, “Maggie, it’s okay. I don’t know what you’ve heard, but he’s one of the good guys.”

If Maggie had been alienated from Meya for so many years and the only Meyarin she’d seen in that time was Aven, who she’d hidden from, then the first contact she would have had was when Zain arrived. As a teaching assistant to Karter, he would have crossed paths with the Archery instructor and likely caught her up on a number of things, including updating her on Meya’s history. But just how informed Maggie’s current knowledge was, Alex wasn’t sure—including whether or not she’d heard the lie about Niyx killing King Astophe.

“I can assure you, Alex, this filthy traitor isnotone of the ‘good guys’,” Maggie hissed, her normally tanned skin paling further with every word.

Alex had never seen her instructor so on edge, so close to losing control.

Shifting into a position much easier to spring from at a moment’s notice, Alex said, “Maggie, please. Just listen to me. Niyx is—”

“I knowexactlywho he is,” Maggie cut in harshly. “And what he’s done.”

“No, you only think you do,” Alex said, edging slowly closer to her silent friend. “Why don’t you put the bow down and we can explain?”

Maggie didn’t move except to tighten her grip.

Do you want to maybe jump in here?Alex said to Niyx, but he didn’t respond. When she cast her gaze to him, he was still frozen in what appeared to be a paralysed state of shock.

“I don’t want to hear an explanation.” Maggie’s grey eyes were a blazing quicksilver. “He’s one of Aven’s most loyalGarsethand he has been for thousands of years. Nothing he says can be trusted, which means nothingyousay can be trusted, since everything he’s ever told you would have been a lie.”

“Maggie, come on, please think,” Alex begged. “Aes Daega told you I was in the past”—at that, Niyx gave a surprised jolt—“and with Niyx being close to the royal family, I spent time with him back then. We became friends.” Of a sort, at least, since they’d certainly had a few hiccups along the way. “Then and now he’s been training me to fightagainstAven.”

When Alex saw that her words weren’t getting through, she quietly but firmly added, “You’ve been living here all these years as a fake ‘Aeylia’ to protect me”—Niyx gave another jolt, this one much fiercer—“but you weren’t the only one who sacrificed their life for me. Niyx did the same, rotting away inTaevargfor a crime henevercommitted, just so he’d be in a position to act when the time came for him to do so.”

The bowstring was pulled tighter as Maggie spat, “You’re a fool if you believe that.”

“I thought you were dead.”

Five barely audible words had Alex frowning at Niyx in confusion. If anything, his shock had only increased during their short but intense conversation.

“They told me you were dead,” he whispered, still staring at Maggie like she was a ghost.