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No. Warmth crept up my face at the thought of dangling limply in those strong arms, but it was quickly overtaken by a boiling rage. How dare he rummage through my belongings? How dare he undress me?

How dare he speak of Klaus’s death so casually.

My wrist throbbed, though the bone no longer jutted outward. I flexed my fingers, wincing as pain shot down my forearm. Tolerable pain. I imagined clinging to the ice wall again in less than an hour, sliding helplessly when my grip failed.

A week ago, I had begged to see the sun. Now, I wished dawn would slow.

I showered and dressed in field attire, layering an undershirt for warmth. The cold would claw at me the moment I stepped onto the trails. Climbing the wall again would be grueling, but it was unavoidable.

With my hair tied back, I headed out.

Dawn crept slowly over the mountains. Golden splinters of light broke through the dark, inching higher with every passing moment.

I stood at the edge of the Winter trails, my socks already soaked from the dew.

My gaze drifted to the Spring borders, where enchanted forests spread like a storybook come to life.

Vines twisted along the fence, and I imagined those students living out their fairytales .

Cully used to read me fables about princes saving princesses. But those heroic tales never breached the confines of ink. Here, there was no one to save me. I had to save myself. I needed to find my quell—at the very least, my bonded creature.

Did I even belong here? Was the false mark on my palm a scar of my failure?

‘No realm has called to you.’

My gaze shifted between the winding trails and the imposing black iron door of the academy. Where was Bridger? Dusk had fully settled, yet he was nowhere to be seen.

Moments later, Damien emerged. He wore fewer layers than I did, as though the cold didn’t dare touch him. He nodded toward the Summer trails, a playful smirk tugging at his lips.

“You’re coming with me today,” he said, his tone leaving little room for argument. “Bridger’s recovering. Besides, trust me—you don’t want to be in Winter today.”

“What happened to Bridger?” I asked.

“Knox broke his nose in that fistfight yesterday. Luckily for you, I have two others who have not found their quell, so you get to join me in Summer today. You might need the heat to find the ice in you.”

“Is that allowed?”

Damien glanced around. “I don’t see anyone stopping us. You’ll be happy to know Bridger is worse off than you are. Knox packs quite a punch. Remind me never to piss him off.”

“He’s protective,” I whispered—only realizing a half-beat later he’d invited me to join him in Summer . “And you think the heat will help me find my quell?”

Damien motioned for me to follow him, staring at the Summer trails where waves bounced off like a kaleidoscope of wings. “It’s worth a shot. Klaus was a Summer. Perhaps that mark of Unknown got it wrong.” A hazel eye winked at me.

“Who—who told you? ”

“Secrets don’t last long around here.” He flashed a crooked grin, nearly the same as two nights before at the fire. “I’m quite fascinated by you, Sev. Do you prefer me to call you Sev?”

I stumbled toward him, knock-kneed, strumming my fingers as a heat wave brushed my arms. A brow, already slicked with a sticky condensation, raised. I pulled two layers off, tying my sweater around a tree.

“Call me Sev, call me Severyn. I find the shortened version is only dire when people want my full attention.”

“I like North, it’s cute.” He laughed. “I was a bit worried your saliva was poisonous when I carried you home last night. Thankfully, only a stained shirt.”

My tightened throat sucked air into my stomach. “ You took me home and undressed me.” We walked through the trails, and two students followed behind nervously.

Damien put his hands up defensively. “Malachi took over once I dropped you on your bed. She nearly winded me out. Quite literally.”

“Thanks. He’s quite… intimidating—your brother. He reset my wrist.”

“Don’t take it personally. Serpents don’t care about first-years, and it’s not the best look carrying a lifeless girl across campus. Especially for a Serpent.”

I nodded in response, trying to rid last night’s memory forever.

Cosmos of all shades of pink and purple lined the Summer trails. I didn’t know what to expect, but it wasn’t a zip line with a shabby hook and no restraints as Summer’s initiation. I stopped near the cliff, watching pebbles fall into the ocean below.

“A zip line?” I asked. “I can’t hold myself up with one hand.”

He rolled his eyes. “Make it work,” he said, pulling the handle back. “If you fall in, it’s only a mile-long swim to shore. Hook your elbow over the top and hold on with your other hand. ”

“I’m not a strong swimmer,” I protested. “Need I remind you, most lakes in the North are frozen?”

The sling snapped against the metal pole. “Too bad. You’re up first.”

I sighed, gripping the crescent-shaped handle with my unbroken hand as I pulled my armpit over the bar.

I grunted, jostling forward as my feet raised to the tips, testing the strength of my arm.

It would hold me for a bit. I stepped back before running forward, and my feet dangled in the air with a heave.

It was like flying, that moment of freedom as nothing was below your feet. Sweat simmered on my brow as a rush of hot wind swept through my limbs. The ocean snapped against the brittle rocks, sloshing between the ten-foot gap that separated the trails.

I toppled over, the handles slamming into the metal stopper. Damien pulled the line back, and the students followed behind. He landed gracefully a moment later, handing me a dagger.

Gliding my hand over the metal shaft, I asked. “Should I be worried why you are giving me a dagger?”

“Each season, we face trial. I’m expecting one to happen while we are here. Don’t be alarmed if you see students from other realms here,” he said.

“What kind of trials?” I asked.

Strange howls and chirps echoed through the trees, weaving an unsettling melody into the air.

The peaks were flecked with moss, curling vines rounding every corner of the path.

Dust and sand swirled low to the ground.

It was almost impossible to fathom that mere steps away lay a land of perpetual snow.

“It could be mental or physical,” Damien said.

“The academy tests us on certain skills. For example, how we handle loss, how well we can navigate, and if we can lead. The first one is usually easy, but the Serpents observe how we react. Mind games can be just as deadly as combat. And sometimes, the trials are personal. You might not know you’re in one. ”

I tightened my grip on the dagger in my hand.

A deep, mournful cry echoed from within the forest. My eyes darted to the rustling trees, searching for its source.

Suddenly, thrashing wings and talons tore through the shielded trail, the creature’s movements sending droplets of water cascading onto my skin, clinging to my clothes.

“Are there beasts in the forests?” I asked, my voice quieter than intended. “I never saw any in the Winter trails.”

“The worst kinds,” Damien replied grimly. “Trapped and starved. I wouldn’t plan on having a cozy campfire anytime soon.”

“He is alive,” that same voice hissed low. The one I heard back at the initiation.

Scattering sounded from the bushes. Then, a scream. “Did you hear that?” I asked, eyes blaring.

Damien cocked his head. “Hear what ?”

“I heard someone hiss just a second ago… then a scream.” I went toward the forest, brushing a few branches out of the way. “I think we’re being watched.”

“He is alive. Find him,” that same voice said once again. It was feminine, with an assertive sweetness humming each word. I shook my head. Klaus was the only person I knew to be dead, and Damien’s warning of the beasts ravaged my mind, but not enough to dull my terrified curiosity.

“He calls to you in water ,” it sang. “His name, etched beside a thumping heart, cascading between bones. He slumbers, awaiting his savior.”

“It’s the trial, North,” Damien said. “Ignore it.”

I pricked my index finger on a thorn, peeking through the lush. “It sounds… lost.” I stepped over the path, heat vibrating against my skin .

“He is not dead, Severyn. Find him. Now, before it is too late.”

It was enough for me to run toward the voice.

Damien reached for me. “Stay out of the forests. We are only protected on the trails,” he yelled after me, but I didn’t listen.

Not if Klaus was somewhere out there. Had he been trapped in the forests for two years?

If the wards could separate frost from warmth, perhaps they could also imprison someone.

The thought drove me forward, ignoring Damien’s curses as he chased after me. Hisses echoed from every direction, the sound growing sharper as I ran. Thorns scored my arms, curling around them like starved leeches, their sharp edges biting into my skin.

I clutched the dagger Damien had given me with raw desperation, the rough wooden handle grounding me as my head spun.

Every tree looked identical, the swirling patterns in their bark merging into a dizzying blur.

Pain flared as a cloud of yellow gnats swarmed me, their tiny jaws nipping at my exposed legs and arms.

Dawn pierced through the swaying branches, its light weak against the dense canopy.

I tightened my grip on the dagger, trying to ignore the agony burning through my legs.

The thorns had to be laced with poison—red welts pulsed angrily on my arms and legs, each heartbeat sending fresh waves of pain through me.

I kept running—that voice drew closer, screaming in my mind, “FIND HIM.”

I came to a lake hidden behind trees in the middle of the forest, a narrow bridge gaping over the ledge. Rotted wood floated along the brimmed surface. A rush of pins and needles coursed my senses. My palms burned and pulsed as I stared at the swamp .