Malrik POV

I pivoted without another word, leaving her behind. I didn’t have the energy to keep sparring I needed out of that moment, out of that tension.

My feet carried me toward Dravina’s room, the thought of her offering a kind of refuge I hadn’t realized I was craving. I knocked when I reached her door, waiting. Nothing.

A faint prickle of unease crept under my skin. Something wasn’t right. Against better judgment, I turned the knob and stepped inside.

The sight that greeted ...