Rowan moved like wildfire, fast and unpredictable. Always a step ahead. Tran was the tide, steady, relentless, wearing me down one correction at a time. Shakari circled the edge like a hawk, sharp-eyed and sharper-tongued, catching every flaw and turning it into a lesson.
Rowan lunged without warning.
I raised my guard too late. His hook cracked against my cheek, snapping my head sideways.
“Reset,” Shakari snapped. “You’re dropping your shoulder.”
I adjusted and forced myself steady as Rowan came again. Cross, hook, uppercut. I blocked the first two, ducked the third, and drove a right hook into his ribs. The breath left him in a sharp grunt.
“Better,” Tran said. “Now drive from your hip.”
Rowan smirked. “She’s learning.”
Something hot uncoiled in my chest. I pressed forward, half-step, pivot, and jab. Then, my fist connected. Rowan stumbled back, boots scraping as I shoved him off balance.
“Alright, Princess,” he said, breathless now. “That one’s yours.”
It was a small win, but it burned sweet.
The drills continued until my arms shook and my legs trembled, but with every strike and block, I felt it. I was getting faster. Stronger.
“Break,” Tran finally called.
I dropped onto the bench, legs quivering as the cool stone kissed my skin. Shakari tossed me her flask. I took a swallow, smoky heat sliding down my throat, victory burning in my chest.
“Another round after the break?” Rowan asked.
“Tomorrow,” Shakari answered for me. “She needs rest before we layer more.”
“Bossy,” Rowan muttered, bumping my fist. “Good work, Princess. You’ll be a problem soon.”
“Already is,” Tran said and for once, there was pride in his voice. “Fix your pivot on the left. You’re favoring your right without realizing it. But… nice spine today.”
They started gathering their gear, Rowan tossing me a parting smirk. “We’re off to the bar, free day’s finally here.”
“Two weeks trapped in these towers, and I am so ready,” Shakari said, practically glowing at the thought. She loved a party.
“Sorry, Thea.” She added.
The three of them had won the Hall of Mirrors challenge this week, earning their free night out. I hadn’t. I still couldn’t beat any magical match yet, either. I was strong and powerful, but power meant nothing when I couldn’t channel it, couldn’t control my emotions enough to fight like I meant to survive.
Real combat was nothing like the lessons I’d been fed in the Glass Castle. Out here, adrenaline burned through you. Your heartbeat thundered in your ears. The magic didn’t flow the same, it surged, wild and unruly. When your life is on the line, everything changes. And I… I still couldn’t get myself together enough to prove my worth.
Their footsteps faded into the halls, leaving the terrace wide and quiet. I sat alone, leaning against the guardrail, looking at the shores miles away. This was the first time I felt quiet in my head in two weeks and not surrounded by screams, fights, and blood.
But just as I settled, footsteps echoed behind me.
“Peace offering.”
I turned, already knowing he wouldn’t give me a single minute alone, trying to apologize for being an entitled prick and treating Jan Radke like trash.
Thalen stood a few feet away, a small paper-wrapped parcel in his hand. The smell reached me first, sweet, warm, like home.
It was a bun, still steaming. The kind we used to sneak from the palace kitchen when we were kids in the Glass Castle. I took it without a word, tore it in half, and handed him a piece before taking a bite.
The taste was a doorway, ten years old again, crouched behind a counter with him, both of us laughing through mouthfuls we were sure the cooks would catch us eating.
“You were an ass,” I said bluntly. “But I already lectured you. You probably don’t need to hear it again.”