Cyrene and Alura dragged themselves off the field and were forced to watch together as the remainder of their match went on without them.

“I can’t believe you did that!” Alura grumbled.

“Me? You tried to stake me with daggers.”

“I wanted you to back down.”

“That was never going to happen.”

“You’re stubborn and an idiot,” Alura snapped at her.

“And you’re a conceited, spoiled brat.”

Alura snorted. “You don’t know a thing about me.”

“Ladies,” Jerond said from the sidelines, “fighting outside of the arena is forbidden.”

Cyrene stalked to the far side of their watching area. She wanted to throttle Alura. And worse, she had to watch her team lose. Beric had a spurt of good luck out of nowhere, and Kros got in a really lucky burst of water at the fire ring. It was over. She’d gone after Alura, and Alura’s team had still won.

“I hate you,” Alura snapped at her as she passed.

“Fine by me,” Cyrene said back.

They returned to the mountain for a silent lunch. But, to Cyrene’s surprise…the other competitors were no longer excluding her, looking down on her, or sending death glares at her. Alura’s lackeys still seemed to be on her side. But getting her out had apparently gotten Cyrene some goodwill.

After a quick trip to the healer for those pesky ribs once again, Cyrene followed the rest of them to watch the final match. It was a foregone conclusion that Alura’s team was the winner. There weren’t enough points to go around to overtake the team. But the top and bottom spots of the individual rounds were still up for grabs.

“Come on, Fallon,” she whispered, watching his still-suspect shields up against Walston and Svatava.

Dean was destroying them. Making the whole thing look like one of the easiest things he had ever done. She definitely knew that her winning that second match had only been due to luck. Because he was better than her at this. Not many people had her level of magic, but that didn’t mean they didn’t know how to wield what they had more efficiently than her. That was the case in this instance. She wasn’t destroying buildings or taking down a sea monster. She wasn’t going up against Kael Dremylon or a Braj or a Nokkin. These were just people…Fae. This was just a game.

She cheered for Fallon as he managed to avoid getting hit time and time again. Something in her lessons must have stuck with him. He looked as if he was really trying this time. Nothing theoretical in his attacks.

And, when the match was called for his team, that was the end of the first competition. Scores appeared, showing the final standings. Cyrene gasped.

Fallon had moved up to third from the bottom. He would continue on to the next tournament. But Sylas and Lynessa were now out. They both slipped out without a word.

Then, Cyrene heard a shriek of rage.

Everyone turned and looked at Alura, who stormed out of the arena.

Cyrene had no idea what was wrong with her. Her team had won. She was in first place. What more could she ask for?

“She lost,” Maxon said with a gasp.

Cyrene snapped back to the scoreboard. She’d been so focused on Fallon that she didn’t look at the leaders. There was Alura in second place…with Dean in first.

“You did this,” Maxon said. He patted her on the shoulder. “Maybe you’re not so bad.”

She had done this. She had thwarted Alura.

She wished that shriek hadn’t made her shiver.

That she didn’t pity Alura a bit for her anger…so laced with fear.

“Congratulations for completing your first competition,” Helly said later that day in the training area. “Your next competition will be two weeks from now. Alura, Beric, and Kros have earned a day’s head start on training. Dean has earned the same privilege along with personal coaching from one of us. Rest up, keep your mind and body sharp, and enjoy your time off.”

The tired lot of them returned to their rooms.

Fallon came by while she was packing. “I can’t thank you enough.”

“For what?” she asked.

“That last-minute training session and for believing in me.”

“You just needed to believe in yourself.”

“Well, you helped with that, too.”

“I’m just glad that you’re still here.”

“What do you think they’ll throw at us next?” he asked.

She shook her head. “You’re the theoretical expert. I assume it’s not going to be pleasant.”

“True. My parents will be pleased.” He grimaced. “The last thing I want to do is go to their inn now and strategize.”

“Then, don’t go.”

“I can’t stay here with all this energy though.”

Cyrene grabbed her things and smiled at him. “Then, come with me.”

“Truly?”

“Of course.”

Fallon nodded and then disappeared to change and grab his cloak. Cyrene hurried down to the entrance, eager to get out of this mountain. She had been cooped up for three full days and needed freedom.

She had too many ideas floating through her head. She was completely up in the clouds. Something that Dean had said triggered a reaction within. She didn’t quite know what she was going to do about it. But she knew that she needed to talk to someone. Avoca for sure. Probably Matilde and Vera.

Not to mention, she had no idea what any of them were doing. It had been a long time since she had been away from them for this long. And just when they’d gotten their dragons back. Ahlvie with his healing and Avoca regaining her strength. It had to be a tumultuous time. She needed to be there.

She was so lost to her own thoughts that she only realized she had walked in on a private conversation when the yelling reached her. She stopped in her tracks and tried to figure out what was going on. That was when she really gathered who was in front of her.

“You are a disgrace, Alura,” Lorian said to her.

Cyrene winced for her.

“You call yourself a fighter, a warrior. You want to rule someday. Become the ruler of the Venatrix. Well, from where I stand, all I see is a little girl trying to play soldier. You let your emotions get the better of you. You’re infinitely better than that insipid, idiotic human girl. You have a hundred years on her. Your power is nearly infinite. What were you thinking?” His voice grew increasingly louder as he listed her failures.

“Do you have nothing to say for yourself?” he demanded. “Just going to stand there like you did in the arena? Allow yourself to be humiliated and look weak before everyone? You are weak.” He gripped her arm hard enough to bruise. “Maybe I should have never even allowed you to join the tournament team. We could have kept you back and put Gerrit forward instead of you. What do you say to that?”

Alura still said nothing. She just stood there. Cyrene’s insides twisted at the words coming from Lorian. He was her father. This was hardly Cyrene’s fight. In fact, she didn’t even like Alura. But…she didn’t think Alura deserved this treatment.

Before Cyrene could think better of it, she stormed forward. “Leave her alone!”

Lorian and Alura turned as one to see Cyrene approaching them.

“Stay out of this,” Alura said.

Lorian released Alura. “Yes, Cyrene, do stay out of this. Go back to your fan club. We’re having a father-daughter conversation right now.”

“Alura fought admirably today. She didn’t win, but sometimes, we don’t always win. Sometimes, in losing, you learn your biggest lessons.”

“I must have never learned those lessons then,” Lorian said with a smirk.

“Obviously,” Cyrene slapped back. “You shouldn’t take this out on her. Her team still came in first, and she only came in second by one point. It was luck that Dean beat her. Nothing else. What you should be doing right now is congratulating her. She’ll get a head start on almost all the competitors, and she’s formidable enough in her own right that she’ll use that to her advantage.”

“Cyrene, that’s enough,” Alura said. Her eyes were smoldering. Somehow, in defending her to her father, Cyrene had made her angrier. She hadn’t thought that was possible. “I don’t need your input on my actions. You can leave now.”

“That’s right,” Lorian said. “Alura doesn’t need your defense. We saw quite well on the field that she has no defense.”

Alura didn’t even look at her father as he landed the harsh words. But she watched Cyrene with a single-minded focus. And Alura looked like she was going to murder her. For enduring this in front of Cyrene. For anyone else having to hear her father insult her. For her enemy to…

Cyrene shook her head. “You should be proud of her.”

“Go!” Alura roared.

“Fine.” She put her hands up in defense and then walked away from the pair.

She had been curious what had made Alura the way she was. Well, it was obvious that it was her father. She wondered what Alura’s mother, Anya, thought of this treatment. If Alura would have been a different person without Lorian’s abuse.

Cyrene sighed as she waited for Fallon. She’d thought that she was making it better. But she was certain that she had only made it worse again.

Cyrene told Fallon none of what had transpired as they walked to Suvinna’s inn. She wanted to forget about it, to be honest. And she was too anxious to see her friends. But, as she stepped into the inn, she gasped.

Her friends filled the space, candles lit the room, and a cake was in the center of a table. Everyone cheered when she entered. She covered her mouth.

“What is all this?” she whispered.

“Surprise!” Avoca said. “We wanted to celebrate you getting through your first competition.”

Cyrene looked around the room. At Matilde and Mikel with their arms around each other. Vera was at their side, looking buoyant. Orden with his arms crossed as he stood in a corner, his head tipped back to show his smiling face. Ahlvie sitting on a bench, looking gaunt but thrilled to see her with Avoca at his side. Suvinna and Marcotte were filling ales.

“Thank you,” she said, choking up. “This is wonderful.” Cyrene laughed and reached back to pull Fallon inside. “You all remember Fallon, right?”

Everyone nodded, and just like that, he was accepted into their circle. Fallon hurried forward to help Suvinna cut and pass out the cake.

Cyrene sidled up to Vera. “I have an idea.”

“Oh no,” she muttered.

Matilde’s eyes widened. “Another catastrophe? Can it not wait until after tonight?”

“Serafina sent me here to find the lost ones. She said I needed a dragon, and she said I needed to control my spirit magic. When I was tested for the tournament, I worked with a dragon, and he used spirit. So I need to get a dragon to use their magic to control my own. Then I could reach her again.”

“That’s why you need to win,” Matilde told her.

“Obviously. But that’s still weeks away. What if I could start training my spirit now?”

“I see where you’re going with this,” Vera said.

“Do you think they’d do it?” Cyrene asked.

Matilde looked between them. “Tell me you’re not considering it.”

“There’s nothing against her working with a dragon she’s not bound to,” Vera said.

“Exactly.”

“They’ll never go for this,” Matilde said.

“Talk to them. I need a dragon to train with. You two have dragons,” Cyrene reminded them. “I don’t need to just win. I need to master my spirit magic, too. Might as well get started.”

Matilde and Vera looked at each other. Very nodded. “We’ll ask.”

“Good enough for me.”

“Now, can we enjoy the party?” Matilde asked with a laugh.

Mikel kissed her cheek.

“Yes.” Cyrene smiled. “Let’s.”

They ate. They drank. They were merry.

And, for once…they forgot all responsibilities. Forgot the fate of the world rested on their shoulders. Or that evil was brewing. Or that she had a tournament to win. Just that they were young and alive and happy.