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She didn’t recognize the noise. There was no reason she would know.

“That sound—big fire attack!” I shouted.

Ayla jerked to action as the drake’s mouth hinged open. With one fluid movement, she threw a dagger.

The dagger’s hilt slammed into the drake’s shoulder, the blade lost in its flesh. The panicked beast stepped back, falling over the portal’s edge.

It vanished, a blast of fire filling the portal in its wake. The blast would have destroyed Ayla, but she had taken down the drake instead.

Ayla waited, her stature still sturdy.

Then the portal changed. It now opened to the central cavern. The four elemental doors remained to one side, while the stone-made portal was on the other.

Ayla hissed. She dropped to her hands and knees, working methodically for breath and calm.

“Thank goodness,” she gasped.

I looked down at the room below—the floor seemed far away. Instinctively, I tested the shadows—

“If I could, I would shadow-step you down,” I said.

“Your magic doesn’t work here, does it?”

“My dagger went right through the drake.”

She shook her head. “What a strange world Leo made.”

“My thoughts exactly.”

“What do you think the other trials will be?” I asked.

“More fighting, if I’m lucky,” she replied. “Thanks for the tip about the fire. I didn’t realize what the clicking meant.”

“Glad I could do something.”

She swallowed, like my simple act still surprised her. She straightened her spine. With a grunt, she jumped to the chamber below.

I followed, and as we landed in the central cave, the portal vanished. Simultaneously, the fire door disappeared, leaving the three remainders.

One trial down.

Ayla took a moment to gather herself, checking her weapons. “My leg is trying to cramp. Let’s rest before knocking down the second door. I don’t want to rush this.”

She sat against the wall and began massaging her thigh. She was all business, a professional fighter, one who had shown mastery even when fighting a drake.

I sat beside her, nearby but not touching. Even this far from her, tension tumbled from my body. She had been amazing to watch.

As she worked on her leg, I tired of our silence. “You’re an amazing fighter,” I said.

She grinned, wicked and fully aware of her ability. “It’s my one useful skill. Dancing? That’s fun, but my family doesn’t value the dances of a part-fae non-princess.”

I laughed, deeper than I was used to. “I’m sure you have plenty of useful skills.”

She shrugged, shifting so she could stretch. “As a child, I hated sitting through my sisters’ lessons, so I ran off and played soldier. There was always someone from the Southern Watch on rotation at the palace, and they thought I was endearing. They trained me.” The watch was Valterra’s most prestigious military group, a team of soldiers who lived along the White Claw Mountains and protected the border. “Mother wanted me in the classroom—it drove her crazy. Though she still found a way to use my skills.”

“What was her plan?”

“In a couple of months, she planned to name me a general of the Southern Watch. Since they trained me, it would have been a natural fit.”