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We spent the night in Harlynn, an Autumn realm ruled by the Serpent Var, Malachi’s uncle. Unlike the barren regions I’d passed through, this mountainous town felt almost... quaint.

Civilians stared as the scorpion clattered through the black iron gates. The village unfurled in a sea of green walls and rounded peaks, every shade of orange and moss melting into the golden-flecked earth.

Three guards led us past the edge of the forest to a lone cabin slouched beneath a smog-stained sky.

For hours, I felt like both prisoner and beast. Now I was cast to the land’s fringe, teeth chattering, my flame quell barely flickering at my fingertips.

Since the snakebite to my relic, its heat had faded to little more than a dying ember. The healers said it could take months to return, once the wound scarred.

Firelight danced in Sabitha’s silver glare, painting her face in fractured shadows. She looked even more wicked here, half-lit and half-lost, than she had while commanding that seven-foot scorpion.

Across from me, she stepped beneath a low branch, stabbed an apple with her dagger, and bit into it with a loud crunch. Juice slid down her chin. Without looking, she grabbed another and tossed it into my lap.

“Nothing like Autumn apples,” she said.

I took a bite—and damn, she was right. Then again, I was starving. “Thanks,” I murmured, trying to ignore the caws and scratches echoing from the forest’s edge. I didn’t want to know what kind of beasts lived out there.

“We should rest,” I said, though what I really wanted was to reach through the bond and tell Archer that Charles was sending me to Malvoria.

Sabitha didn’t answer. She just finished her apple, wiped the juice from her chin, and started walking. I followed her toward a small cabin tucked beneath the trees.

Inside, it smelled like smoke and old wood. Two narrow beds lined the far wall, separated only by a threadbare curtain strung between crooked planks. It wasn’t much, but it was dry. And just warm enough to survive the night.

Sabitha flopped onto one of them, boots thudding, blades clattering to the floor. “I snore,” she warned. “This will be the only apology you get.”

“Oh, that’s okay,” I said quickly, because honestly, she looked like she could strangle me in her sleep without ever getting up.

“Good,” Sabitha muttered. “Now shut your eyes.”

When her breathing steadied, I let the bond open, let it flare softly through me like a flicker of light behind closed eyes. “Are you awake?”

His voice came instantly. “ Yes. Is everything okay?”

“I’m in Harlynn.”

Sabitha shifted, letting out a low, guttural noise in her sleep.

“Harlynn?” His voice tightened. “Malachi’s uncle’s territory? ”

“We’re stopping for the night. Charles sent a Briber like I’m some criminal being escorted to Malvoria. He can’t do this.”

I felt him pause through the bond. “Just spend a few months there. See what the Forgotten are capable of. You’re the only one who can.”

I hated that he was right. I might only get the answers I needed about my mother’s involvement with the Forgotten there.

“Will you visit?” I asked.

“As soon as I can.”

“Is everything okay in Demetria?”

“My father’s dragon was seen above my lands. I had no choice but to come home if he planned to steal back the sunlight. And at this point, I’m willing to give it to him.”

“Have you began preparing?” Distant memories of my father locked away in his studies when I was a child came to my mind. All he could mutter for months was, ‘rations.’

“I am dealing with it, Severyn.”

The weight of his words settled on me. It wasn’t just the sun they were fighting for, it was power. Archer had given up his sunlight to save my father from his failed bargain.

I forced a smile into my voice. “Can we lighten the topic? Tell me a story?”

“I thought we were done with bedtime stories?”

“Never,” I teased. “You’re such a good storyteller.”

His sigh was soft, yet playful. “There once was a girl from a frozen realm—”

I cut him off with a laugh. “Not about me.”

“So, you already know the end of the story?”

I smiled. “ Let me guess, she wields the power of flame and ends up with the stars?”

“Careful, wouldn’t want anyone to believe you’re a Seeker.” His voice lightened. “The girl had a mission to save the sun and her frozen land— ”

“You make me sound like a hero.”

“And perhaps I’m the villain, trapping you in darkness.”

“ Well, in that case, I’ll rest easy, knowing I have the comfort of the stars.”

“You sound restless.”

I sighed through the bond. “I’m just nervous.”

“Don’t be.” Archer’s voice came gently. “Malvoria is stricter than the Academy, but you’ll rise quickly. I don’t doubt that.”

At the king’s estate, he’d been furious when Charles suggested sending me there. Now, it felt like he’d given up the fight.

“Good night, Archer.”

“Good night, heir.”

I woke the next morning with a sore neck, nearly tumbling out of bed when a loud clatter jolted through the room. “Shit,” Sabitha cursed. “Sorry to wake you.”

I couldn’t help but wonder if the noise had been intentional. “So… how far until Malvoria?” I asked, stretching my arms after what barely counted as rest.

Sabitha buckled her blades into place, adjusting the leather straps over her shoulders. “About three hours west,” she said, nodding toward the woods. “But the trail’s laced with poison. We’ll save two hours if we cut through.”

I stepped out into the soft wind of Harlynn, met by the gentle glow of dusk brushing the treetops.

I didn’t want to admit I had absolutely no idea which way was west .

So I stuck a finger in the air like I knew what I was doing. I’d read somewhere that the wind could tell direction—or maybe that was the sun. Either way, I was guessing.

“Ah. West,” I declared, confidently taking a step in the completely wrong direction.

“That’s east,” Sabitha said flatly. “Have you ever looked at a map before?”

“I’m not great with directions,” I muttered, brushing hair from my face. “Why are we taking the deadly, venomous trail again? Aren’t you supposed to deliver me there alive?”

Sabitha adjusted her blades without blinking. “I have plans after I drop you off. I take the fastest routes. Always. Now get on Nevia.”

Not the scorpion again. I stepped toward her just as Nevia reared back, hissing low and guttural.

“I’m happy to walk,” I offered, hands raised.

“You’ll be fine.”

“Getting on this thing felt easier yesterday.”

Before I could bolt, Sabitha grabbed me like a sack of potatoes and flung me into the saddle. “Has anyone ever told you how insufferable you are?” she asked. “It’s just a giant scorpion.”

I scoffed. “Sorry to offend, but riding a giant scorpion wasn’t exactly my childhood dream.”

She didn’t miss a beat. “Neither was being an heir. But here we are.”

I rolled my eyes. “You’ll have to try harder if you’re trying to get under my skin.”

“Please,” she muttered, flicking the reins. “If that was my goal, you’d already be in tears. You won’t last a day at the institute if you bruise that easily.”

I scoffed. “Has anyone ever told you that you’re extremely hostile?”

“Thank you. And yes. ”

We trudged for hours through a bleak wasteland.

The sun clung to my back, baking my skin in slow, peeling layers, while a cold wind sliced through the valley—not relief, just another cruelty, stirring the sweat already slicking my brow.

I couldn’t wait to reach the next realm, one with a colder climate and mercy in its wind.

In front of me, Sabitha hummed a tune I was half-convinced was a mating call for beasts. I swore she was actually trying to kill me.

When we finally crossed into the Spring forests, the air cooled, laced with the scent of peonies and sunflowers. Ahead, Sabitha’s shoulders tensed beneath her cloak, and her hand drifted to the hilt of her sword.

“Keep your quell ready,” she said, voice low. “Attack only when they lunge.”

“Creatures?” I asked, already reaching for flame.

She nodded without looking at me. “They’re watching us.”

Sure enough, a herd of pale figures padded between the trees, their white fur rippling like silk in the wind. Massive paws moved soundlessly through the underbrush, but it was their eyes that stopped me cold—pitted and gray and blank where pupils should have been.

I summoned my flame. It flickered in my palm… then sputtered out. But something else bled through. A lash of shadow flared in my other hand, I had no idea how to wield it, let alone use it as a weapon.

“My flame’s weak,” I said, voice tight. “Give me a weapon.”

“I don’t trust you with one,” Sabitha snapped, drawing her blade with a hiss. “Spring wards. They poison the air and drain us the longer we stay.”

“Well, you were the one who picked the deadly, cursed trail,” I muttered, swallowing hard. “What kind of beast is that? ”

“A norft. Their fangs are filled with a poisonous gas that will swell your veins. It’s incredibly uncomfortable, but some of the more expanded regions have been using their venom for cosmetic purposes.”

“That sounds painful,” I said.

One of the norfts clawed at the ground, sniffing the air. “And what happens if it bites your arm?” I asked.

“Then you’d have a very engorged arm,” she whispered as she readied herself for the fight. “Hold on.”

The creatures swarmed around us, one even sniffing my palm before baring its canines. And gods, it was sort of adorable. I was almost glad my flame was useless, because I couldn’t bring myself to harm something that looked at me like that.

We pushed them back eventually, their howls trailing behind us.

“Why does Spring weaken quells?” I asked, glancing behind to make sure the pale-eyed pack hadn’t followed.

“It’s the plants,” Sabitha said, her tone grim. “Poison in the air, poison in the soil. You weren’t meant to survive here. But it’s temporary. We won’t be in Spring long.”

“Like a shield?”