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Muffled voices spoke, and it took me a moment to realize it was Bridger’s. “I told you she is not a Winter. It nearly killed her for you to understand that,” he whispered. “She can’t bond with a single enigma and is literally repelled by snow.”

I blinked, staring up at the dim lanterns on the bedside table. Ringing and humming mingled with scattered voices.

Bridger stood at the foot of the bed with the headmaster beside him. “I chose Winter for her. It’s what her father wanted. Of all Fallon’s children, she’s the only one who has pushed back.”

“Her mother had one of the most powerful quells in the academy’s history, and her brother bonded with the Gemini dragon. What did you expect? The Serpent has me by the neck,” Bridger said, exasperated, flinging his arms in the air.

The headmaster was silent, his thumb strumming over his beard. “Speak to Jenessa and find out why a beast escaped through the wards and onto the trails. The girl was—was brutally attacked.”

My tongue felt frozen, like my body had been a night’s breadth ago. I didn’t make a sound. The wards were fine. It was Callum who’d—who’d attacked me.

Bridger was there. He watched. I swore he got off on my pain.

“I refuse to be her mentor, not if that Serpent is making demands. I didn’t want to leave her there alone. Perhaps the academy can make mistakes, such as heiring a mad leader.” Bridger’s combat boots clicked as he stormed out.

I melted into the mattress, sinking my neck into the curve of the wrinkled pillow as the headmaster followed.

Flashes of last night lashed through my mind like a whip cutting through a shield.

The sound of my clothes tearing under his dagger, the grin as he watched me shiver until I begged.

My throat was hoarse, raw from screaming.

My eyes darted wall to wall, searching for Estella, but the infirmary was empty.

I shoved the white linens off my legs and pulled at the loose dressings covering my wounds.

Welts and bruises laced my aching skin. My fingers traced the tender, purplish areas where Bridger’s ice daggers had punctured me.

Lacerations lined my ribs and thighs where Callum had cut my clothes, jagged and deliberate, to make it look like a snow beast had attacked.

But I’d survived. I’d lasted long enough to breathe.

I closed my eyes and fell asleep for what felt like an hour until the door creaked open. I blinked and saw a flushed Damien. He was the last person I wanted to see like this, and I didn’t have it in me to be scorned or accused of wandering into the forests alone.

He clenched his jaw, taking in the sight of my bruised skin. “Malachi couldn’t find you this morning. I thought you were—”

“Dead. I nearly froze to death,” I said, pulling the cotton shirt down. “Still no quell, and I think my enigma is nonexistent. ”

His eyes flashed. “You look… terrible. What happened?”

“I’d rather not—not talk about it. I’m sure your brother has already called the boat to Malvoria.”

“Lucky for you, he and the other Serpents are gone.” He took a step closer, his hand brushing against the wooden bedframe.

“Gone?” I leaned forward.

“As in taking care of their Serpent duties. They are still leaders of realms. They have people to care for, politics to sort out.”

I knew being an arrogant, attractive ass wasn’t all a Serpent was. “Right,” I said.

“You’re covered in blood, Severyn. There’s a bath on the second floor.” He went to help me up, but I pushed back.

“Why are you helping me? I told you I’m being sent to Malvoria,” I hissed. “You have no reason to be nice to me.”

His jaw tightened. “Because we are friends.”

Your friends should be your enemies, but I’d be dumb not to lean on Damien. Damien might be the only person who could take me back to the lake in the Summer forests. “I didn’t think you’d want to be after I ran into the woods.”

He grinned. “I don’t blame you for running off.”

I needed to heal. And a bath—a hot bath I’d kill for. “Friends,” I said. “I guess that’s fine.”

Damien grabbed my elbow, steadying me through the halls. His eyes reminded me of a fire with fresh mulch laid to devour, the flecks of amber, green, and orange distant rims around his pupils. And something whirred beyond that clenched jaw as I leaned against him.

“You are freezing.” He ran his palm over my bare arm, avoiding my wrist with every tender graze.

“I don’t belong in Winter.” The words escaped before I’d thought them through. He already knew about my mark. Maybe he knew more and could help me understand it. “I don’t know what to do. My father’s legacy depends on me. ”

“You do not want to be the leader of a frozen valley, do you?”

“I do not wish for my father’s name to die.” The half-truth was perhaps worse than a lie.

“So, you would rather be miserable for your entire life?”

I was silent.

We were on the west side of the castle. A serpent-shaped lantern trailed along the ceiling with candles flickering from the large body of the porcelain snake.

The creature’s scales were carved into the walls, glinting like jewels under the light of flames, casting our conjoined shadow on the stone ground.

I shuddered at Malachi’s story about lindworms and wondered if those scales were of the slain beasts.

Damien stepped into the crystal-lined bathroom, forcing out two students who were towel-drying their hair. Damien was protective, something on the verge of sweet, as he gathered a spare set of clothes and a towel from the closet for me.

“I’ll guard the door. Take your time,” he said with a subtle grin.

“Thanks,” I said. It was the sincerest effort I could manage with my aching bones and skin. The door closed with a groan.

A faucet glinted back, opening to an oversized quart tub.

I twisted the knob, and the water steamed, instantly soothing the welts and bruises.

I ran the water over my scalp and the lashes from the wind.

Mirrors wrapped around the ceiling, forming an iridescent pattern.

And I couldn’t help but look up and see the hollow girl staring back—her body was nearly translucent under the shoddy light.

I hardly recognized myself. I looked weaker, a shell of a woman after those excruciating hours on the frozen ground in Winter.

My neval streak was tucked behind my slivered ear where Bridger’s dagger clipped it on the first night.

And perhaps I’d wilt before I could become reborn, before the old me simmered, willed to whatever voice was in my mind .

After an hour and pruned fingertips later, I dragged my numb body out of the steaming water. I dried off with a cotton towel, changing into fresh academy attire untouched by blood.

Damien pressed against the wall as I stepped out. “You look better. More like a human than whatever you were before.”

“I guess that’s a compliment,” I whispered.

“Take it however you like.”

My mind began to whirl as the cool air touched my lips. I’d have to face another brutal day tomorrow. “Bridger won’t stop. He’ll kill me.” I don’t know why I didn’t mention Callum’s attack.

He scratched the stubble on his sharp jawline.

“Bridger was the one who found you. It’s very rare for beasts to escape the wards.

” His hand was on my backside as we walked toward the grand hall.

Night speckled a sea of stars through the wide oval windows as he continued, “I’d say the Winter trails will be off limits until a full investigation is done. ”

I’d be spared for a few days until they realized Callum had done it.

We sat on a stone bench near a wooden fireplace in the grand hall. Embers sparked along the curved metal gates. An aide brought us mugs of hot chocolate. Damien appeared softer in this light, and I again noticed the scars on his chest.

I hardly knew him. I didn’t even know his quell.

“On the first night here, you mentioned never telling strangers your quell. Can I know now?” I widened my eyes, giving him the same doe-like pout I’d seen Malachi flash at Monty. “Obviously, I am no threat.”

Damien chuckled low. “Why don’t you guess it?”

I took a sip from the velvet-swirled hot chocolate. “You are a student mentor for Summer. So, I’d say heat control?”

Damien scoffed. “No, I have two quells. Dragons often live hundreds of years and choose to continue after their rider passes. Emerich gave me glass manipulation.” He opened his palm as a crystal-clear dagger struck from the center.

“It comes in handy when there are no weapons around. I can also portal through mirrors, but I’m a little rusty.

” He pulled down his shirt, showing me the scars I’d noticed.

Our scars matched. I imagined the power within that quell. Glass was everywhere. “Could we both travel through mirrors together?” Bridger and Callum could portal through the snow—the possibilities with glass were endless.

“I’ve never tried it, and I don’t think I would ever take that risk. It nearly drains me if multiple mirrors are around.” Damien raised his palm, and that glass dagger shattered into a million whirling crystals.

“It’s beautiful,” I whispered.

He kept his eyes on me, nodding. “Beautiful… or deadly.”

“A quell can be beautiful.”

“Listen, I’m going to teach you how to fight. I want you to be able to protect yourself in case something like that happens again.”

“Who—told you?”

He blinked. “Combat. Bridger broke your wrist, and he won’t hesitate to break your legs next time you’re pinned against him.”

“You don’t have to do that.”

“Is it stubbornness, or have you been alone with your mind too much that you don’t trust people?” He raised his voice loud enough, and three students turned to stare.

I suppressed a sigh in the back of my throat. “Fine. Teach me combat, but after the healer comes.”