35

The quiet of the evening seems to amplify each footfall as I walk back toward the dormitory with Beck, Brunhild, Mireen, and Ambrose. We've spent most of the day training until our muscles ached, then refining our strategy for the Crucible. We still don’t know what will be asked of us tomorrow, but we did our best to prepare as much as we could. I also slipped out for another private session, working with Typhon on fighting as a team and even riding on his back in an emergency.

Raith had to spend time drilling with his fires and the earths they've recruited. Apparently, they even absorbed a few airs to the cause. He was adamant that we work as a group of five and let him handle the management of other teams. From what I understand, there are four major groups among the first-years. The legacies, those with Malakai, those with us, and the few outliers who haven’t declared their allegiance.

I hate admitting that I've already been missing Raith after just one day apart. I know I shouldn't let myself feel so much for him, but I can't stop it. The fact that I can feel pulses of faint emotion and thoughts from him, even halfway across campus, certainly doesn't help. Especially when half of those emotions involve me and how much he wants to see me. How much he's worried about me. How desperately he wants to protect me.

"Get some sleep tonight," Mireen says, nudging my shoulder. "We need you sharp."

"I'll try," I reply, though I know it won't be easy to calm my mind.

Beck yawns, stretching his arms overhead. "I'm telling you, there's nothing to worry about. We've trained for this. We're as ready as we'll ever be."

Brunhild wraps her arm around Beck's broad shoulders, pulling him in for a sideways hug. "No one will touch my sexy bear. Brunhild and Dora the crab will make sure of it."

Ambrose wears a grim expression. "There are too many unknowns for my liking. Will the weapons we sabotaged really break when we need them to? Can we believe Serena that Empire won't be watching? Was the story about windborne true, or just something she told us to make us avoid killing Malakai's people?"

I frown. "That's all very comforting to hear on the eve of the Crucible, Ambrose."

He shrugs. "Akaron and I have gone over the possibilities at length. Wouldn't it make more sense to sacrifice the weapons to buy our trust? A small gesture to ensure we walk into the Crucible with faulty information? Information that all seems to imply we shouldn't fight back if attacked by Malakai's people?"

Mireen chews her lip. "You're just mentioning this all now?"

“It’s okay,” I say. "I think our safest assumption would be to discredit everything she told us if Typhon finds no magical interference. If it’s there, then we should assume the rest was true.”