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The western gardens, vibrant with rare flora my mother collected from every corner of Meridian, have been paved over into a supply staging ground. The scent of rain on blossoms, once the first breath of the courtyard, has been replaced by the reek of leather and iron.

Lirien Spire, once Ashenvale’s heart—the meeting place of every Veinblood family—now flies Authority banners. A false crown on a broken city.

“It must be hard, seeing it like this.”

I shouldn’t indulge this conversation. It was bad enough yesterday, when she somehow got me to talk about my mother. There’s no tactical advantage in revisiting what can never be reclaimed. Yet something in me, something long forgotten, answers before I can stop it.

I turn to face her.

“What’s lost is lost. I have to focus on what can still be reclaimed.”

When the midday bells sound, I suggest we leave the room and find something to eat. Staying here is starting to wear at my control, and there’s too much at risk to let that happen.

“Remember, keep every interaction minimal. Brief responses if you’re addressed. Authority soldiers rarely speak directly to servants, so any unusual attention is a potential danger.”

She nods, then lifts her head. Once again, I’m shocked by the way she meets my gaze without flinching.

“Are my eyes behaving?” It takes me a second to process herquestion. Her voice is quiet, and something in me answers it before thought intervenes.

I reach out. My fingers brush beneath her chin, tilting her face toward the light. I intend it to be nothing more than a necessary check, but the moment skin meets skin, my entire body braces for impact.

A whisper of sensation stirs beneath my flesh, racing along pathways I didn't know existed until she arrived in my world. Faint but unmistakable. An echo of what happened at Stonehaven. A reminder that once broken, boundaries are not easily rebuilt.

For a heartbeat, I'm inside her head again. Or maybe she's inside mine. Thoughts blurring, borders dissolving.

Snow. Heat. Tower walls. Shadow and silver meeting in the dark.

The sensation fades, leaving behind a ghost-print across my nerves. Memory, or more than memory? I can’t tell.

But then I catch her expression—pupils dilated, lip caught between teeth—and certainty replaces doubt.

She felt it too.

Her breath catches, but she stays still, waiting. Holding steady. Trusting me not to break whatever fragile line we’re standing on.

I force myself to focus on her eyes. The silver flecks are still there, dimmed but not gone. A caged storm, waiting to break.

“It’s subdued enough. Just keep your focus, especially in public.”

For a moment, I don’t move, the impulse to remain connected to her almost strong enough to override caution. Then I let my hand fall away. The space between us snaps taut like a pulled wire. She lets out a soft breath.

“Come.” I turn away, and open the door.

The hallway outside the room teems with servants heading to the communal hall. We join the flow, matching their pace, slipping into invisibility. Ellie walks slightly behind me, head down, mimicking the quiet deference displayed by others of her supposed rank.

Long tables are arranged in rows, benches instead of chairs. Everything designed for efficiency rather than comfort. We collect our meals from workers who barely glance at us—bowls of flavorless gruel, survival rationed in gray clumps—then find seats at the end of a table near the wall. Close enough to an exit, far enough to avoid unnecessary scrutiny.

Ellie keeps her eyes lowered, focusing on her food. I remain alert, checking every face, every exit. The room hums with muted conversations, servants speaking in the clipped tones of those who have learned survival begins with silence.

“They all look so beaten down. Everyone is just trying to keep their heads down.” She glances up, barely moving her lips.

I follow her gaze across the room, forcing myself to see Ashenvale through her eyes, rather than my own.

“The Authority values compliance above all else.”

“No wonder you fought them.” Her attention goes back to the bowl in front of her.

“They began by targeting Veinbloods, but their ambition has always been broader. Complete dominion over all human will.”