Relia closed her laptop when the doorbell rang from downstairs.

Great. Let’s get this over with.

Not many things could dampen Relia's spirits these days, but her blood still boiled at the sight of Elise Moonfire. She’d betrayed them all, and now she strutted around this house as if nothing was wrong. She and Akari trained together every Irinday and Narsday, and the others had started laughing and joking as if they were all best friends.

Relia stepped down the hall and descended the winding wooden staircase into the foyer. There, Akari opened the door and let Elise inside. As usual, the other girl wore her long blonde hair in a thick braid, and her training outfit seemed to sparkle in the dim lighting.

“Hey.” Akari waved at Relia when she reached the bottom of the stairs. “Thanks for training with us tonight.” She looked so awkward when she played the roles of host and peacemaker. But Relia had to admit, she’d become much more mature these past few weeks.

How had Elend known this would work? Even Irina couldn’t explain that one.

Elise smiled at Akari, but her expression was all business when she met Relia’s eyes. Then she gave her a nod that was almost like a bow. “We can get started right away if you’d like. I wouldn’t want to take up too much of your time.”

Relia just nodded back as they headed for the basement dojos. Elise had been acting this way since their trip to Vordica. When friendliness didn’t work, she took on this distant, professional persona. It almost made Relia feel bad for the girl. But of course, that was the whole point of this persona, wasn’t it?

The trio was halfway to the basement when Irina’s voice called their names from down the hall. “Relia, Akari?”

“Yep?” Relia hollered back.

“We need to talk.”

The three of them rounded the corner into the kitchen. There, Irina and Kalden stood around the island with solemn expressions.

Elise surveyed the scene and shot a quick glance toward the basement. “I’ll go get warmed up while you—”

“Stay,” Irina cut in. “This concerns you as well.”

Relia’s heart leapt into her throat. Before, she’d assumed this was some minor housekeeping issue, like that time Akari broke too many wine glasses with her portals. But now . . . Azul’s ashes. This didn’t sound good. The others must have realized the same thing, because they silently took their seats around the island.

Irina drew in a deep breath, meeting each of their eyes in turn. “First of all, Elend won’t be coming back this week. The prime minister has also summoned me to Cadria. I have two weeks to prepare.”

“What?” Relia blinked, struggling to process all this. “Why?”

The older woman shook her head. “I’m afraid I can’t share specifics.”

“Can’t?” Akari said. “Or won’t?”

“The former. I’m under orders.”

Relia leaned forward. “But you said the prime minister can’t summon Elend. That’s why he went with Sterling, right?” Relia didn’t know much about battlefield rules, but Elend had explained this one before he left. The prime minister could draft civilian Masters and Grandmasters, but choosing to fight put Elend in a gray area. He wasn’t technically a civilian now, but he also wasn’t a member of the Espirian military.

Elise cleared her throat from the end of the kitchen island. “Things are getting bad with Storm’s Eye. Elend would get summoned the second he came back.”

They all looked at Elise, but Kalden spoke first. “Did your parents tell you something?”

“No, but I can read between the lines. We all can. Storm’s Eye is killing thousands of people every day, and we’ve made zero progress against it. Things can’t go on at this rate . . .”

“Or millions will die,” Kalden finished with a slow nod. “We’re killing mana spawn, but there’s an infinite supply of those. We need to mount an offensive. Either kill the spirit, or wound it enough to make it retreat.”

Relia glanced back and forth between them. “But why all the secrecy? We’re all united against Storm’s Eye.”

“There will always be opportunists,” Kalden said. “Planning a joint assault leaves our land undefended. Especially when our Mystics are involved.”

Irina watched in silence, but she looked mildly pleased at their deductions. That seemed as good as a confirmation.

“Speaking of opportunists . . .” Relia shot a glance at Akari, and then Elise. “Who’s going to defend the house?” The Sons of Talek would still be after them, and this would be the perfect moment to strike.

“Elend will send Glim back,” Irina said. “She can draw on the house’s power supply for months if necessary.”

“And what about our next interschool match?” Akari asked.

Irina shook her head. “I suspect your next match will be delayed. They haven’t announced anything yet, but Costria is too close to the fighting. We can’t risk a large gathering of people down there.”

That sent a shiver down Relia’s spine. Things were finally getting better this year. She’d cured her condition, and her friends were safe and happy. Now the whole world was falling apart beneath her shoes.

Espiria had seen many wars in recent centuries, but nothing at this scale. How many Masters and Mystics would die in this upcoming battle? What about Elend and Irina? They were the closest thing to parents Relia had right now. What if she lost them?

Irina must have seen her unease because she leaned forward to catch her eye. “Elend and I both serve reconnaissance roles in battle. We’ll be miles from the actual fighting.”

“That’s good,” Relia said with a shaky nod.

“We’re going to resolve this,” she continued. “The Mystics have their share of petty squabbles, but they’re dangerously efficient when they have a common enemy.”

~~~

With nothing else to do, Relia joined Akari and Elise in one of the basement dojos. Irina still had two weeks before she left, and there was only so much to discuss in the meantime. No doubt they’d go more in-depth on security protocols at some point, but that would happen later when they weren’t in mixed company.

She closed the door and spun to face Elise. “How much should I hold back?”

Elise blinked. “Excuse me?”

“I’m an Artisan.” Relia’s voice came out far harder than she’d intended. Must be the stress of the moment. Her condition had plagued her for years, but that had also been a constant in her life—something she could understand and control. This business with Storm’s Eye was all uncharted territory.

“I know.” Elise shot an uncertain glance at Akari. “But you’re on defense today, right?”

Relia gave her a long, hard look. “I spent the past few years training with Elend. He taught me how to counter mental attacks. How to really counter them.”

Elise’s eyes widened as realization dawned on her. Then she shrugged out of her jacket and set it down on the nearby bench. She removed her silver earrings next, placing them on top of the folded garment.

Until now, Akari had been lounging on another padded bench near the room’s entrance, but she perked up at this exchange.

“Don’t hold back on my account,” Elise said. Then, after a short pause, she added, “What about me?”

Relia furrowed her brow. “What?”

“Are there any techniques I shouldn’t do?”

She waved that away. “You can’t hurt me.” Technically, Elise had already hurt her once, but only because she’d chosen to open up to her. Relia wouldn’t make that mistake again.

The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

“Okay.” Elise took a few steps back and fell into a combat stance “Are you ready?”

Relia took a few breaths to prepare herself, then nodded once.

Elise’s channels glowed with violet light, then her arm flashed upward as she released her first Missile. The mana flew forward in a blur, and Relia struggled to track its movements. Her Artisan eyes could see most Apprentice-level mana, but there were still exceptions, like dream and spacetime.

Oh well. She wasn’t trying to dodge or block this attack. Not physically, at least.

“I call this the Mirror technique,” Elend had told her several years ago. “We’ve discussed reflection before, but the real world has far too much variance. Mental techniques are harder to learn, but the laws of physics don’t apply. If you believe you can reflect a technique, then you can. It’s just a matter of focus.”

“And I can learn this?” Relia asked with some hesitation. “I’m not a dream artist.”

He grinned at her. “We’re all dream artists in our own minds, lass. If we weren’t, then dream mana wouldn’t work in the first place.”

Elise’s mana hit Relia’s brain, pulling her back to the present moment. She fixed the Mirror technique firmly in her mind’s eye, reflecting the mana back to its source.

Her opponent collapsed on the ground as if she’d been punched. Clearly, she’d been trying to inflict physical pain. Quite a bit, by the looks of things. Silence passed as Elise struggled back to her feet. Akari raised her eyebrows at Relia, but her look wasn’t accusatory. If anything, it looked more like admiration. Elend had begun teaching her the basics of mental defense, but she was still years away from learning this.

Elise launched another attack, and Relia threw it back. This time, Elise doubled over at the waist, screwing her eyes shut. This continued several times over the next few minutes, but the result was always the same.

“Um, you might want to get a bucket,” Relia said. “You’re about to—”

Elise bent over and heaved up her dinner. Akari reacted with surprising speed, forming a portal on the floor by Elise’s feet. Relia stepped closer out of curiosity, and the portal looked like it went somewhere in the backyard. Snow reflected the moonlight, and a few stray flakes blew up into the dojo.

Elise wiped tears from her eyes, cleared her nose, then spit into the portal.

“I think we’re done here,” Relia said. The first few times had felt cathartic, but this was just sad. She never should have agreed to it in the first place.

Elise tried to clear her throat, but it came out more like a cough. “I thought we said half an hour?”

Akari brought Elise a bottle of water, and the other girl gave her a grateful smile. Azul’s ashes. When had Akari Zeller become so compassionate? It made Relia feel even more like a bully.

Elise wiped her mouth clean on a towel, then fell back into a combat stance. Her knees shook this time, and her eyes had lost some of their strength.

“You’re wasting your time,” Relia countered. “You’re not gonna make any progress against me today. You’ll just keep hurting yourself.”

“You’re using the Mirror technique,” Elise said.

Relia narrowed her eyes. “Did Elend teach you that?”

She waved a dismissive hand. “Elend didn’t invent this technique, and it’s not unbeatable.”

That was true, unfortunately. Mirror techniques reflected mental mana with near-perfect accuracy. That meant the technique’s strength was also its weakness. If Elise made her own Mirror, she would throw the technique back at Relia.

After several more exchanges, Elise managed to do just that. The attack broke through her defenses, threatening to send a wave of pain through her body. Oh well. She’d just have to deal with this the old-fashioned way.

Relia knew pain. She knew it like an annoying song, looping endlessly in the back of her mind. Before, that pain had brought the looming threat of death. Now, it was nothing to her but a nuisance. Relia drew in several deep breaths, letting the waves wash over her, from the roots of her hair to the tips of her toes. Then she flicked it away like an insect, and it didn’t bother coming back.

Elise slumped her shoulders, and her chest rose and fell with rapid breaths. “How—how close did I get?” When Relia didn’t reply, she continued. “Akari usually gives me feedback so I know how to improve . . .”

Relia just shrugged. She wasn’t trying to be difficult, she just couldn’t imagine a scenario where this worked. Even Elend’s pain machine didn’t affect her like it did the others.

“I told you before,” Relia said after a short pause. "You can’t hurt me.”

Elise nodded, and the dance continued. She tried several more approaches over the next few minutes—pulling Relia’s worst memories and fears to the surface of her mind. Relia just stared at the thoughts head-on, and they scurried back like rats in the shadows.

Her mind had gotten sharper since her last advancement. Normally, this sort of thing happened at Master, not Artisan, but the rules worked differently for Aeons. Angelic mana was hard to control, and brains adapted like any other body part, giving you the tools to succeed.

Elise tried something new for her next technique. A rush of memories and emotions flooded Relia’s mind, but they weren’t her own. She was Elise Moonfire now, the daughter of Senator Ashur Moonfire. No . . . his adopted daughter. Such a thing shouldn’t matter, but it did. Why was she really here? To cover up a scandal? To protect the Moonfires’ secrets and political careers? To fill some void their real daughter had left behind? Love was supposed to be unconditional, but to her, it always felt more like a game. The rules of the games were clear enough, but victory was never within her reach.

The first memory interposed itself on Relia’s vision, and she didn’t resist. She’d never seen another person’s memories, and curiosity got the better of her. She was young—no older than four or five. Her parents were busy with work and training, and they couldn’t afford any distractions. They sent Elise to live with a family friend. Just for a month at first, then six months, then a year. She never saw her parents that whole time. But when she finally returned home, they showered her with attention.

More memories flashed through her mind’s eye, one after the other in rapid succession.

She was twelve, finishing her last year in a military boarding school. Her parents were campaigning for office and she hadn’t seen them in over a year.

She was fourteen. It was Midwinter, and she sat alone in the manor, with only the household staff for company. She’d always wanted to be home for the holidays, and now she finally got her wish. But who would have guessed that home could feel like the coldest place in the world?

She was sixteen, back at Koreldon Prep. She’d gotten good with her aspect now. Good enough to make friends wherever she wanted. Good enough to make people love her. But a part of her had always felt disgusted with herself. She was living a lie, just like her parents were.

All the while, Elise assumed it was her fault. She’d been desperate for her parents’ love—to prove that she could be useful to their cause. And then, when she joined the Artegium, she finally got her chance.

She’d succeeded at her goal. She’d eliminated Akari Zeller before the end of the game. But it hadn’t mattered in the end. She’d betrayed everyone she knew. First, her alliance. Then Relia and her friends. And she’d done it all for nothing.

Relia tried to push the memories away, but the rush of emotions overwhelmed her. She couldn’t separate her own thoughts from Elise’s. What’s more, a part of her didn’t want to let go. She’d pushed Elise away for her mistakes, just like her parents had.

But then . . . Elise really had betrayed them. She’d almost gotten Akari killed after the qualifying rounds. She deserved this.

Relia sank to her knees on the dojo floor. The fall jolted her back to reality, and she snapped her eyes open. Akari had left the room at some point, and Elise stood very still across the dojo. Relia’s vision blurred with tears, and she couldn’t make out the other girl’s face. However, she caught a glint of triumph in her pale blue eyes.

Relia narrowed her eyes as she stood. “You did that on purpose.”

Elise blinked at her. “I thought we weren’t holding back.”

Relia ignored that as she stepped forward. “You think you can just show me these memories? Then what? I’ll feel sorry for you?” Angels above. What sort of person even thought that way?

Elise stood her ground. “My instincts told me it would work . . .” She trailed off, leaving the rest unsaid: It had worked. Relia’s curiosity had let the attack slip through her own defenses. By then, it was too late, and the emotions drowned her like a raging river. Relia could ignore her own pain, but not the pain of others. That was in her nature as a healer. Just as it was Elise’s nature to lie and manipulate.

“So that’s it?” Relia countered. “You showed me this for cheap win? Do you really have no self-respect?”

“You keep calling me a compulsive liar,” Elise said. “Now you’re pissed that I showed you the truth?”

“That was telepathy,” Relia snapped. “That’s illegal.”

“Sort of like your entire aspect?”

Relia slumped her shoulders. She still didn’t like this, but she had agreed to it.

“Look,” Elise said. “I know you don’t want to hear this, but I really am sorry. Sorry for everything.” Once again, she left the rest unsaid, but the shared memories filled in the gaps. She’d been desperate to prove herself to her parents. To prove that she was worthy of their love. She’d convinced herself the qualifying rounds were just a game, and she’d been too naive to understand the real-world costs.

“Sorry doesn’t fix it,” Relia muttered. “You almost got my best friend killed. How do I know you won’t do it again?”

She swallowed. “Because you’re my teammates.”

“For now, maybe. While it's convenient.”

“Not just for now,” Elise said. “For as long as you’ll have me.”

“What’s that even mean?”

“We all want to be Mystics someday. And no one can walk that path alone. I respect all five of you, and I want to climb the ranks by your side.”

Relia crossed her arms. “You had your chance.”

“Yeah.” She hung her head at that. “Doing the right thing comes easy for you. For the rest of us, it’s a daily struggle.”

That much was certainly true. Akari and Kalden had made their share of bad choices, but they were also powerhouses in more than just mana arts. Akari had proven that these past few weeks when she’d finally stepped up in her role as captain.

Some people clung to their identities as if change meant defeat. Before, Relia might have tossed Akari in this category. But Akari was willing to look ahead, see the person she needed to be, and then become that person today. Not just for more power, but to become someone who deserved that power.

Was Elise willing to change that much? Had she already changed, or was this part of some elaborate act? Relia couldn’t say. Betrayal cut far deeper than any weapon or technique.

Elise met Relia’s eyes again. “What if I swear an oath to you?”

“An oath?” Relia blurted out. “An oath to do what? Not to betray us again?”

She nodded.

“What good is that?”

“I’ll swear it on my soul.” Elise held out her arm. “If that’s what it takes.”

Relia shook her head. “Soul oaths are serious things. We shouldn’t mess around with them.”

“I know that.”

“You spent your whole life trusting our parents,” Relia continued. “And look where that got you.”

“I know,” Elise repeated. “But that wasn’t my choice. This is. If I have to put my faith in someone, I choose my older sister.”

“We’re not even sisters,” Relia replied. “You’ve said so yourself.”

Elise lowered her arm and looked away.

Relia suppressed a wince. She knew how it felt to hear those words; she’d been on the receiving end more than once. She drew in a deep breath and continued. “But I guess we’ve both dealt with our parents in our own ways. That’s gotta count for something, right?”

Elise looked up again, eyes full of hope.

“I still think your oath idea is crazy,” Relia said. "So was sharing your memories like that.” She paused, and a genuine smile crept across her face. “But if you’re willing to go that far, then maybe you do belong on this team after all.”