After we’ve all taken a sip, Ambrose frowns. “So we’ll wait and see with Malakai. Where do we stand with Raith and Bastian, though, Nessa? Can we count them as allies?"

They heard the part about Bastian saving me and Raith in the elemental plane, but this is the first time they've asked about him beyond the usual teasing when he has gone out of his way to say something to me in public.

"I think we can trust Raith." My voice wavers just slightly, and I feel my cheeks warm again. I seriously need to get whatever that reaction is under control.

"And Bastian… I'm still not sure. I'm not sure I fully trust any of the legacies."

"But you trust a fire?" Mireen asks. Her tone is sharp, and she lets out a soft sigh. "Sorry. I know the two of you went through something together in there. I just… have trouble believing we can trust him."

"I get that. But he has had so many chances to kill me, now. I can't see what his game could be if he really is an enemy. Why leave me alive for so long only to come after me later?"

"I don't know," Mireen says. "But I still think we should all keep our guard up. Anybody except the four of us is a question mark. And here? Question marks can kill you.”

Beck raises his cup with a goofy smile. "Another toast!”

Ambrose groans, but grips his cup.

“To surviving,” Beck says. “Even when death tried really, really hard to get us. And to our new friends. Uther, Akaron, Ollie, and… what did you call him again? Oceanus?"

"He will use my proper name, or I will show him the price of his disrespect."

"He knows it's not your real name, Typhon. He's just trying to keep us safe. Remember?"

Typhon says nothing, but I sense resignation through the tether.

"Right," I say. "Oceanus."

"To them," Beck says.

We all clatter our glasses together. And though the mood is celebratory all around us, I worry the relief we all feel is only temporary. Tomorrow, I'll still be unbound. I'll still have to figure out how to navigate my time here without revealing that deadly secret to anyone. I'll still know Bastian and Raith know exactly what I am and Malakai wants me dead.

Across the dining hall, I catch a glimpse of Rector Voss watching our table, his expression unreadable. As our eyes meet, he gives me a slight nod, his lips curving into a smile that doesn't reach his eyes.

Something about his attention makes the hair on my arms stand up.

"Your heart rate has increased," Typhon observes. "What troubles you?"

"I don't know. Just a feeling." I shake my head and turn my attention back to my food. Soon, I'll need to figure out how I'm going to keep myself and the people I care about alive.