The fortress was quieter than usual. Morning light slanted through the high windows of the hall, catching the dust in silver shafts. But beneath the calm, there was unease. Selene felt it in every glance that lingered on her, in every whispered word that stopped when she entered a room.

Her hands were still raw from training, the skin faintly glowing no matter how hard she tried to smother it. She kept them hidden beneath her cloak, but the light always seemed to bleed through, betraying ...