Moments later,

Aria

The gold coins were counted, the mana-crystals were stored, and the adrenaline that had sustained me through the obsidian spire finally curdled into a bone-deep exhaustion.

By the time the moon hung high over the Blackwood permafrost, my limbs felt like they were made of lead.

The bath was a blur - hot water, the scent of cedar oil, and the steam rising to meet the cold air of my chambers. I barely remember Lila helping me into a thin, silk shift before I collapsed onto the fresh linens. The darkness of sleep didn't just invite me; it claimed me, pulling me down into a fathomless, silent...