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Alex pressed her lips together to keep from laughing, not having expected her friend to break the silence in such a candid manner.

Pointedly clearing his throat, Jordan said, “You know who else is ridiculously attractive?”

D.C. blinked at him, shaking herself from her stupor, then patted his cheek. “No competition.”

Jordan practically puffed out his chest, making the assumption that she was rating him higher than Raife on the handsome scale. But Alex shared an amused grin with D.C., knowing that her comment could have been taken either way. And Jordan had taken it the wrong way. Because there truly was no competition. While all those in Vardaesia were like Meyarins when it came to having unnaturally good looks, Raife was in a class all of his own. Jordan couldn’t hold a candle to the stunning immortal—no human could. But, fortunately for him, he didn’t need to, since D.C. was already besotted with her decidedly mortal boyfriend.

“Right,” Bear said, looking slightly queasy at the way Jordan and D.C. were glancing adoringly at each other. “Time for you to fill us in on what the hell happened out there, Alex.”

“Was that Xiraxus?” Jordan asked, his expression animated when he turned from D.C. to her. “You never told us how huge he is.”

“I want to know about Raife saving you,” D.C. said, with a dreamy sigh that had Jordan sending her a sharp look and her responding with an impish one followed by a swift kiss of apology.

“I’d rather hear what he meant about you being pushed off the island and left to fall to your death.”

The words were said by Kaiden, his tone quiet enough in its intensity that the others stilled, all of them looking at her in question as they realised the gravity of what she had faced.

With a loud exhale, Alex moved to sit on the couch, knowing she had a long explanation ahead. Only when they were positioned around her did she reveal all that had happened, starting with the stairs of death. Mid-discussion, she learned that Kaidendidhave a levitation gift that allowed him to help the others; or rather, he used a telekinetic ability to keep them all stable as they slowly moved from step to step, before assisting them with that final leap up to the Sky Kingdom. Controlling the powerful ability for so long and for so many people had drained him, though, as evidenced by his pale features and the way he was rubbing his temples. But when Alex sent him a concerned look, he managed a small—if strained—smile and nodded at her to continue.

So she did, sharing everything from Raife’s rescue to the spiteful immortal who had shoved her off the island, to Xira’s arrival and the winning of the race.

“That’s insane,” Jordan said with wide eyes when she was done. “All of it.”

“You’re like a cat, Alex,” Declan said, shaking his head. “Nine lives.”

Her features ashen, D.C. said, “More like ninety-nine. Or nine hundred and nine.”

Amused that her Medoran friends knew what she’d thought to be a Freyan idiom, Alex said, “Whatever number it is, I’ll take it.”

She still had trouble believing what had transpired. Shock was beginning to set in, and while she no longer felt the exhaustion prompted by the concealment ring, she still hadn’t recovered from her earlier fatigue.

Glancing around, she realised she wasn’t the only one who looked in need of some downtime. Everyone appeared as shattered as she felt. Kaiden and Bear in particular; the former who was still rubbing his temples—a worrying concern—and the latter whose sallow skin and dark eyes had steadily worsened since he’d arrived in Tia Auras. Alex was worried about him, mostly because, to the outside, Bear appeared almost normal, acting as he usually would. And yet, she knew he had to be overwhelmed with sorrow on the inside, despite his assurances that his grief could wait.

“We all have the afternoon off,” Alex noted. “I don’t know about you guys, but I’m thinking of having a quick lunch and then a not-so-quick nap.”

They still had a number of hours before sunset, and while Alex could go and visit the city again—this time perhaps being able to enjoy it—what she really wanted was to sleep. She wasn’t in Tia Auras to sightsee; she was there with one goal, and in order to see it through, she needed to be in top form.

Of her friends, only half were of the same mind. All of them did join her for a light meal delivered by Kaiden’s helper, Sorin, along with D.C.’s helper, Latania. But afterwards, Jordan, Declan and Bear opted to go out and explore the city, while Alex, D.C. and Kaiden all decided to remain in. The three boys wereparronedaway by Jordan’s helper, Enka, who Alex presumed would return them safely when they were done.

Alex wasn’t sure if she was happy Bear had gone with the others for a few hours of distraction—very sparkly distraction—or if she should have encouraged him to stay and rest. But she also knew that the last thing he needed was for her to smother him with reminders of his grief, so she’d said nothing and waved them all off with a smile. By that stage, Kaiden had already retreated to his room to recover from the strain of controlling a gift that wasn’t technically his, which left only D.C. with Alex.

While she was eager to follow through on her plans to nap, Alex couldn’t help thinking that it was the perfect time to check in with her friend, since they’d had such little alone time in… longer than Alex cared to admit.

“Come sit with me for a minute,” she said, nodding towards the couch.

D.C. sent her a curious look but rose from the lunch table and followed dutifully, the two of them curling up beside each other.

No sooner had they settled before Alex jumped up and moved back to the table that had been cleared of all but a crystal bowl filled with multi-coloured candies—‘juicy jewels’, as their name translated. Alex had become obsessed with them since her arrival, their fruity taste somehow both sweet and sour, offering an explosion of flavour that melted in her mouth. Since the Tia Aurans had yet to reveal a chocolate equivalent, Alex grabbed the bowl and returned to the couch, not at all disappointed by their snack of choice—and nor was D.C., given the way her eyes lit up as she eagerly reached for a handful of the sweets.

“What’s up?” the princess asked as she sucked on one of the orbs.

“Just wanted to see how you’re doing,” Alex returned, moving her own fruity globe around in her mouth and nearly moaning as her tastebuds rejoiced. “So much has been happening, and we haven’t had a chance to talk about any of it.”

D.C. shifted into a more comfortable position, facing Alex fully as she answered, “I feel like I should be the one askingyouhow you’re doing. You’re at the epicentre of all this. And now that you’ve told us about Niyx… It can’t be easy dealing with that on top of everything else.”

Alex lowered her gaze. “I’m doing as well as I can, considering. And I’ve had a lot of help.” From Kaiden. From Niyx himself. Even from Zaylin, oddly enough. “So let’s ignore me for once and focus on you. How are you handling everything?”

“By everything, do you mean what’s going on here in Vardaesia?” D.C. cocked her head to the side and added, somewhat wryly, “I’m not a fan of these challenges, especially the ones involving heights, but I think I’m getting better at them. You’ll have me flying on the back of your draekon in no time.”