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Saefii’s tone was unyielding as she said, “Alexandra concealed her true nature from us—just as she has since first arriving here.”

“What’s she talking about?” Jordan whispered to her, concerned.

“They didn’t realise I was bound to a draekon,” Alex whispered back, not going into detail about Athora’s ring and its effects, since none of her mortal friends had ever been able to see the difference it afforded.

“In hiding what you are,” Saefii continued, “one could conclude that you should therefore forfeit your right to claim victory.”

Alex opened her mouth to object, to argue her case and point out the impossibility of her task had she not been bound to Xira. But someone beat her to it.

“The girl won fair and square,” said her Tia Auran rescuer, his arms crossed defiantly over his powerful torso. “As her friend stated, there were no rules, which means she did not cheat. She simply used the resources she had at her disposal in order to win.”

“She’s bound toLendasa Marna de lah Korim,” Saefii hissed in an unexpected show of temper, using the Tia Auran phrase for ‘Lord of the Sky Kingdom’—a title Alex knew Xira would love even more than her earlier suggestion of ‘Ruler’. “You would have won the race yourself, Raife, had her draekon not ordered the others to remain in the air.”

“Then shouldn’t I be the one complaining?” her rescuer— Raife—questioned, his brows raised pointedly. “It looks like I’m one of the few here who appreciates that we were all outsmarted by a mortal. Good on her, I say.”

Alex heard her friends stifling their amusement, but she was too focused on the tense exchange between Raife and the empress to find any humour in his nearly taunting words.

With narrowed eyes, Saefii said, “The girl never would have outsmarted anyone had you not assisted her during the first stage of the test.”

“By ‘assisted’, I presume you mean how I saved her life when no one else was going to?” Raife shrugged, a casual move, yet his silver eyes were stormy. “No rules against that, either.” His tone hardened. “Just as there were apparently no rules against pushing what was believed to be an unbound human offLendasa Marnaand leaving her to fall to her death.”

His suddenly cold gaze flicked over to the long-haired Tia Auran, his censure clear.

Alex had no idea why Raife was defending her so staunchly. None, whatsoever. But she was beyond grateful that he was going head-to-head with the empress and didn’t appear daunted by her in the slightest.

“Regardless of all that,” Raife said, his voice deliberately lighter again. “Ultimately, the judgement falls toTu’eh Saeron ess Telari, and the Gates have already spoken. There is no contest here—the mortals have passed the Gate of Courage. How Alexandra won the race doesn’t matter, just that she did.”

Murmurs rose around the crowd while Saefii looked down upon the dais with glacial eyes, her nostrils flaring. But if Raife was right about the Gates themselves determining the winner, then there really was nothing the empress could do.

“I guess congratulations are in order, mortals,” the empress said stiffly, visibly reining in her ire. “Your testing will continue tomorrow at dawn.”

Unlike the previous days, this time it was the Tia Aurans who disappeared first. Saefii and Calivere vanished from their thrones, with the masses following behind. Tayros was delayed slightly byparroningdown to relieve Alex and the others of their golden cuffs, but then he too disappeared with the rest of theremaining Tia Auran competitors. Only Raife remained, his otherworldly features endlessly amused as he turned to Alex.

“Looks like you did have another surprise up your sleeve, after all.”

His eyes trailed over her exposed skin, taking in the golden glow of hervaelianabond. His own glimmer had disappeared now that he was no longer touching his silver-coloured draekon—an interesting development that Alex presumed must have something to do with their different races. Or perhaps because he was immortal and she wasn’t.

“Your empress isn’t pleased,” Alex said, rubbing her arms self-consciously. “None of them are.”

“You surprised them, that’s all,” Raife said. “We’ve never encountered a mortal who has bonded with a draekon. They’ll get over it soon enough.” He paused. “And really, you’re notjusta mortal, are you?”

His face still held clear amusement as he shook his head in wonder.

She didn’t need to answer—he’d seen for himself that she was capable of more than a normal human. So instead, she quietly said, “Thank you, Raife—for saving me up there. And for helping me the rest of the way.”

Raife grinned. “Guess you owe me one, Alexandra.”

That she did. But all she said was, “Alex.”

He nodded, still grinning, and turned to include the rest of her friends who were silently following their conversation. “I’m looking forward to watching your remaining tests, mortals. You should be proud of how much you’ve accomplished so far.” He looked them each in the eye before finishing, “Despite how it may seem, you have many supporters here, some of whom hold lofty positions of power. So stay focused and get through the next three days, knowing that there are those of us who are rooting for you to succeed.”

A bright flash of light surrounded them before anyone could reply, and suddenly they were back in their shared common room.

Alex was reeling from Raife’s unwavering declaration of support. Whoever he was, his encouragement meant the world to her.

She looked between her friends, noting their own dazed and contemplative faces, presuming they were considering his words and thinking along the same lines. But then D.C. spoke, and Alex wondered if she was wrong about what had arrested their features—or at least, D.C.’s.

“That was one ridiculously attractive man.”