They returned to Ashenwell under cover of night, the Echo gone—disintegrated after Grim released it.
No one spoke on the ride back.
Not even Sparks.
🕰️ Hours Later – Ashenwell Medical Bay
Grim sat on the edge of a cot, shirt off, the violet Lume still flickering faintly beneath his skin like distant lightning.
Kerren had already gone to report to Kaia.
Lys hadn't moved from the wall since they arrived.
She finally stepped forward.
"You're lucky I'm not the type to scream secrets into the halls," she said, folding her arms. Her voice held the usual fire, but her eyes were calculating now. Sharper. Not just judgmental—but interested.
"You controlled it," she added. "That wasn't combat. That was command."
Grim met her gaze, unreadable. "And?"
She shrugged. "And that makes you a target. A tool. Or something worse, depending on who hears about it."
Silence. Sparks didn't speak.
Then Lys leaned in a little, lowering her voice.
"But I won't say anything. Not to Kaia. Not even to my House."
Grim raised an eyebrow. "Why?"
"Because I want to know what you are," she said simply. "What they did to you. What you're becoming. And I'd rather watch from the inside than from behind a locked door."
> "Oh," Sparks murmured, "I might actually like her now. She's got the spine of a cat and the mind of a trap."
Lys continued. "We both have secrets. Mine involve a family that plays politics with blood and Lume. Yours might tear the Court down if it gets out. So maybe, just maybe... we help each other stay alive."
Grim didn't reply. But he didn't say no.
She turned to leave. "Get some rest, 'child of Avara and Irix.' Tomorrow, people start asking questions. You'll need answers that don't burn down the academy."
She paused at the door.
"I'm not your enemy, Grim. But I won't play loyal unless you earn it."
And she was gone.
Grim lay back on the cot, arm over his eyes.
> "You okay?" Sparks finally asked.
"No," Grim whispered. "But I think... I'm starting to remember why."
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