Pria spent the next couple of hours in a near maniac fervor, consuming as much of the material around her as quickly as possible. It didn't matter that she didn't understand most of it—one day soon, she would. She didn't have a choice. It was her burden to bear.

Geight came back sooner rather than later and proceeded to chatter excitedly about a large lizard-like monster with two heads and eight legs like a spider. It crawled out of the ocean, long toes gripping any holds on the red spires, black scales glittering like obsidian in the sunlight. Not that Geight described it so eloquently, but that was what Pria imagined from his disjointed details.

She listened with only a quarter ear, focused mostly on the texts before her. Still, his light-hearted prattling was a soothing background drone to her studying. Most of the tomes belonged on the first level—which didn't help Pria in her endeavors to actually learn magic. Most were history books, detailing either the minute details of obscure mages and their barely consequential contributions to the magical community or the long, long-winded past of specific magical sites scattered about the country. Nearly all of them were clearly skewed toward the viewpoints of humans, though there were a couple that at least tried to be unbiased. They mentioned elven mages of legend, how they built altars or their breakthroughs in certain disciplines.

It came to a head when she found a book on the history of the Seabound Tower. Most of the book ran through the different human mages in recent history that occupied the tower as the Seabound Ascendant. Pria idly leafed through it, skimming every few pages when her eyes snagged on the word 'elven'.

Though towers are elven in origin, not many ascendants attempt to pick apart the fragile magic keeping the towers in working order. This endeavor proved almost disastrous for the infamous Ascendant Gregory-

Pria frowned and scanned the rest of the account, but it focused on the man's folly and not the fact that the towers were apparently made by elves. "Geight?"

"Hm?" The aspect stopped his dramatic recreation of the monster climbing up the leg of the table, the illusion fading into nothingness.

"Was the tower made by elves?"

"I dunno. You should ask Master Rahu. He'd know."

Pria fought the urge to grit her teeth. "Maybe," she said, instead of no, which would just upset Geight again. It shouldn't be all that surprising that the towers were created by elves. She knew the towers were ancient, far older than the war. They might even predate the arrival of humans on the continent.

Maybe they made the tower with the aid of celestial magic. She still hadn't seen so much as a mention of her blessing outside of the occasional account of a fabled elf using it. They never say what it did, only that they casted some type of celestial spell. Pria drummed her fingers along the edge of the book, considering. The last thing she wanted to do was ask Rahu anything—the less they talked, the better. He already seemed to like her well enough that she didn't feel pressured to endear herself to him. There was plenty of time left for that.

"What time is it?" she asked. There were no windows in the library, and she didn't feel like trying her luck roaming around the tower.

Geight gave a soft pulse. "One-thirty."

When did it get so late? Pria frowned. "Viris said he'd fetch me for meals."

Geight's light wavered in the approximation of a shrug. "Maybe he's busy."

Pria let out a long sigh through her nose. "Busy doing what? You said the tower takes care of all the cleaning itself."

"Erm, most of the time it does. At least the rooms it likes. And Viris still has to cook everything which can take all day." Geight gave a sharp pulse. "I don't get it. He spends hours on one meal that takes, like, twenty minutes to eat. What's up with that?"

Pria sighed, taking the books stacked next to her and sliding them onto the top shelf. Over three hours and she wasn't even done with an eighth of the shelf. "It takes time to make good food." She'd know—years of kitchen duty taught her how to make food good enough for a tempermental minor lord with the ego to compensate for his lack of status. "Guess you wouldn't know anything about that, though."

"Nope!" Geight chirped, bobbing along beside her as she left the room. It looked like she didn't have much choice but to roam the tower.

Opening the library door, she frowned at the sight that greeted her. It wasn't the endless hall with its staggered doors and pale light, but a regular corridor. Tall windows let in streams of sunlight onto polished white tile and a dark green run like a forest floor. Houseplants marked every few meters, with the occasional sculpture or painting mixed in. The whole hall had a slight bend to it like a loose bow.

Geight giggled. "Looks like the tower's mad at you."

Pria groaned. "Now what?" Why couldn't the tower just leave her be?

"Probably upset that it hasn't been able to give you a tour." He drifted out into the hall, his body nearly disappearing when his light mingled with the sunbeams. "Explains why Viris hasn't come to get you—this place is a hassle for you fleshy people to navigate. I know Viris complains about all the stairs."

Pria let out a long sigh through her nose. "Right." She finally stepped out into the corridor, closing the door to the library behind her. She peered out of the window at the rolling black sea beyond. She tried to get a glimpse of the spire below them, but could only see the few beyond them that marked the border of the ocean. "Freaky," she muttered.

"I'll go tell Rahu the tower's not doing its job," Geight said, darting away before Pria could even protest. She just barely caught sight of him shooting through the ceiling when she turned to him and felt his sudden absence like a wound in her side. She was alone in a tantruming tower that was much too fixated on her. Usually, she would keep out of the way of any lords whose ire she'd drawn until they had forgotten whatever petty slight she'd inflicted on them. She couldn't do that with the tower—there was nowhere she could hide from its attention as long as she was inside it, and she had no way of knowing which of her actions would upset it. Without Geight there to guide her, it felt like exploring the tower would be as bad as walking through a monster-infested forest at night. Not that she had many options in front of her.

Eyeing the walls, she started forward in search of a staircase. The dining room had a skylight which meant that when the tower wasn't being twisted by Rahu's magic, the room had to be at the top of the structure. If she could just get up there, she could wait until Viris or Geight came back to help her navigate the rest of the annoying building. She didn't even know how to get to her room from here.

The halls were eerily silent. Pria's muffled footsteps and strained breathing were the only sounds stretching through the thick quiet, neither quite loud enough to pierce the haze that seemed to cling to the sunlit walls. There were no other servants, no Rahu, and even if one of his aspects drifted through, it wasn't like she would hear them unless they actually spoke. No wind whistled beyond the thick glass of the windows, no gently crackling torches marked the walls. It felt like she was the only living thing in a frozen world. No, that wasn't right—it felt like she and Rahu's tower were the only living things, untouched by the world. Somehow, that was even more terrifying.

She quickened her pace, wishing Geight was there to keep the suffocating silence at arm's length. She walked until she found another door and tried to open it only to find it locked. At least the metal handle clattered lightly at the motion, but the sound still seemed to drown in the vastness of the tower's mighty walls.

She wondered if this was why the tower was made to be so straightforward in its navigation. She tried to imagine walking these cavernous halls and scaling the hundreds of steps, thought of her voice not quite echoing off its walls even when it should. As she eyed the walls, she was struck by a crawling along her spine. Now that she was by herself, looking at the true walls of the tower, it felt like they were looking back. She found herself lightly running her fingertips against the polished stone, half expecting it to give like flesh. Even though the veins of the rock remained stalwart under her touch, it did feel sickeningly warm. Pria snapped her hand back as if burned.

More than ever, it felt like she was inside something massive and apathetic and alive. Like she had been swallowed up by some giant monster and left to wander its pale veins.

She shuddered and hurried to the next door. Just as before, it was locked. She couldn't imagine why—the aspects certainly didn't need to bother with them and she doubted there were many restrictions on where Viris could go that needed such reminders. The doors might be locked because of her, but Viris made it sound at dinner that she would be given free roam of the tower just like the aspects. She huffed, more irritated that she believed Rahu would actually grant her such luxuries than that the claim had proven false. Sighing, she continued on, humming lowly to keep the pressing atmosphere away.

The tower was definitely watching her. She didn't know how she knew, but she did. The more time that passed walking its halls, though, the less she found herself bothered by it. The wrongness from the feeling of life from something that had no business being alive didn't diminish in the slightest, but Geight seemed to be right—the tower's gaze didn't feel critical or pervasive. Maybe instead of a monster and an ant crushed under its uncaring foot, the tower saw her as more of a pet. In Pria's opinion, the one wasn't much better than the other.

After the fifth locked door and no sign of a staircase, it occurred to her that just because it wasn't twisting its space for her didn't mean the tower couldn't still control its innards. Stepping back, she glared at the shadowy ceiling far above her, raising her voice to fill that empty space. "Just what do you want?" she demanded. "I'm just trying to get something to eat. Is that so much to ask?"

The tower didn't reply. It wasn't like the aspects in that regard, but after a moment, Pria realized that the floor was rumbling ever so slightly. The feeling itself wasn't even what drew her attention—it was the tiny rattle of the picture frames along the walls. She blinked, but she didn't think the tower was angry because of her outburst. Just like she knew it was watching her, she could tell that it was satisfied with her. Like a purring cat.

The tower was alive and sentient, but she'd never asked just how sentient it was. Without a voice to speak, it was much harder for Pria to get a read on it, too. Was it a pet? An unfeeling monster? Or was it like an aspect with its own distinct personality and way of seeing the world? She was just beginning to realize it was probably the last one.

"I'm sorry," she murmured. The rumbling stopped, and she knew the tower was listening. "You're not so bad, right? You just wanted me to acknowledge you. Well, here I am. Geight said you were probably upset you didn't get to give me a tour. So, what did you want to show me?"

It didn't feel as strange to be talking to the tower anymore. Definitely more natural than being in the endless hall where it was hard to sense the tower's existence. Here, she walked and it watched, she talked and it listened. Beyond a doubt, the tower was massive and ancient and had probably seen generations of her people—larger than life mages that survived in stories and tomes as thick as a tree trunk—but it also saw her. It paid attention, it made its own opinions.

And it decided it liked her.

She backtracked to the nearest door and, taking a sharp breath to brace herself, gingerly pushed it open.

The room beyond was dark enough that Pria had to wait a few moments for her eyes to adjust. Tentatively, she stepped inside, her skin prickling at the sudden chill in the air. From what she could tell, the room was actually fairly small—for the tower anyway. It was as big as any normal room in her old lord's house.

There was no rug covering the perfectly smooth stone floor. She wasn't sure why that was the fact that set her on edge, but it was. There was no furniture in the room at all, just three pillars on either side of her forming a wide path to the back wall. Set into the dark stone was a large sphere of fierce blue light. Its center shifted and buzzed like a swarm of fireflies, but despite its bright, entrancing light, its rays didn't quite pierce the rest of the darkness.

Pria found herself walking toward that light before she even realized what she was doing. The door closed itself behind her, trapping her in the dark room. Yet, she wasn't afraid. She wasn't even suspicious. Just like when she set foot within the tower for the first time, being in that room felt like meeting an old friend and finding they lived up to the cherished memories in her head.

She didn't understand—or maybe on some level, she did. Some part of her knew, just like some part of her always looked to the stars for guidance and comfort. This tower was made by elves. In a way, she knew the tower, and it knew her. It should have terrified her—the tower was still Rahu's, captured by his magic for his purposes. But in whatever ways it could, the tower was trying to give itself to her. It was making the most radical move, showing its trust in her and hoping to foster a two-way connection.

It was showing her its heart.

Pria stopped a pace before the shifting light, splaying her hand in front of her and watching its blue light play across her palms like the refractions of ocean waves. Slowly, she leaned forward.

"Pria!" Pria nearly shot out of her skin at Geight's call. She spun, horrified to find the aspect and its master in the doorway to the room. Geight zipped forward, but Rahu just stood there, a black silhouette against the light of the hall. "Found you! This isn't the dining room."

His tone was teasing and light, but Pria could barely pay any attention to him. Rahu still hadn't moved. She wished she could just catch a glimpse of his face, but his whole visage was cast in shadows.

What should she say? She could bluff Geight, tease him back and offer no explanation, but that wouldn't work on Rahu. She gulped and floundered for an appropriate response, something to excuse her presence in a room that she should certainly not be in. "The tower brought me here," she said, figuring there was nothing wrong with the truth. They were the ones that kept saying the tower was eccentric—maybe it wouldn't be so strange that it let her into its heart. "What is this place?" she tacked on, hoping to level any suspicion.

"Somewhere you won't be coming again," Rahu said, clipped. Pria suppressed a wince as the ascendant swept into the room, his eyes narrowing. "If you touch that, you could very well break the tower. It would lose all its memory and cease to exist if you were not skilled enough to take over its ownership." He stopped in front of her, glaring down his nose. Pria braced herself, waiting for the blow to fall. She shouldn't have trusted the tower. Now Rahu was angry—and she didn't know how far Rahu's rage stretched. Would he simply strike her and be on his way? Would he kick her out?

"Do you understand? You could have killed the tower."

Pria didn't dare meet his eye. Somehow, that knowledge was even more damning than any punishment that Rahu might give. The thought of such a magnificent piece of elven heritage crumbling because of her... "I understand, Lord Rahu. I'm sorry." Sorry she almost hurt the tower, not sorry that she upset him. She wasn't sure how much the apology was worth to him, but she figured it couldn't hurt.

Rahu nodded and stepped away, casting a glance at the tower's heart before turning back to Geight. "Stay out of trouble."

Pria snuck a peek at Geight, The aspect's light shone with a dim confusion. "Okay."

Rahu sighed and moved to leave, but not without a parting remark. "I will watch the tower as closely as I can for the next few days. If the room is strange in nature, do not enter. No damage of that sort can be worth sating your curiosity."

She didn't try to defend herself. Just because the tower opened the path didn't mean she had to walk down it. She bowed to Rahu's back and cursed herself for a fool. "Yes, my lord."

"Good." He stopped in the doorway and looked back at her. Pria took the hint and kept her gaze down as she slunk past him, Geight trailing behind her. He shut the door behind her with slow, carefully controlled movements and walked away without another word. Pria watched him go in a mix of relief and apprehension. She wasn't naïve enough to think she'd escaped punishment for her trespassing, but at least Rahu seemed to be making an effort to control his temper. Probably didn't want to make her afraid of him just yet.

"Yeesh. You actually managed to make Rahu mad," Geight said, bobbing beside her. "Not even the other ascendants manage to do that. Annoyed, sure, but right now I can feel his anger. He's furious."

Pria's stomach coiled up on itself like a constricting snake. Anger and terror warred inside her for dominance—anger at Rahu and the tower for putting her in this impossible situation with so many rules she still didn't know or understand but fear of what would come from breaking them. She seized onto her anger, focusing on its strength instead of the weakness that made her want to cower. "I don't care," she hissed. "Rahu's barely even spoken to me. He can't get mad that I don't obey his rules if he doesn't even tell me what they are." As if that ever stopped other lords in the past.

That was what it really boiled down to, though. Pria could not learn how to survive in this place if there was nothing to teach her. Trial and error worked well enough in the past, but failure wasn't so damning then. She couldn't afford to keep fumbling along. Whatever reason Rahu liked her before, she was certain she'd just thrown it out the window. She should have just stayed put and waited for Geight to come back.

Geight hummed. "It's not that. If you pull the tower's core out, then that's it. It..." he trailed off, giving a stuttering pulse. "It ceases to exist."

Pria scowled. "I wasn't going to pull it out." She was just going to touch it. It felt like the tower was calling for her to do so, beckoning her forward.

"He didn't know that."

"Just whose side are you on anyway?" Pria snapped. She didn't know why she bothered asking—she already knew the answer, as much as it pained her. "This isn't my fault."

"I'm not saying it is!"

Pria huffed and turned on her heel, marching in the opposite direction from Rahu. "Which way to the dining room, Geight?" she asked—demanded, really. She didn't want to think about this anymore. Her rage was beginning to slip from her grasp, succumbing to the lurking fear. She could have killed his tower. What would Rahu do to make sure she never made that mistake again?

Geight followed at a slight distance, like he thought she might explode. "Uh, just open a door. The tower shouldn't give you any more trouble, at least for a little while."

Pria yanked the closest door open, barely even feeling any relief at the empty dining room that greeted her. She stomped inside, seizing one of the prepared plates of food on the serving cart and dropping into a chair at the corner of the table. She wasn't even sure what she was mad at anymore. The tower, for coaxing her forward? Did it even understand the situation it had put her in? Rahu, for getting angry and then simply walking away? Was he trying to play mind games with her?

Was she mad at herself?

Breathe, Cestra's voice again, even and strong. Your anger will not aid you here. Let it give you strength but do not let it consume you. You are better than this, Priavalon.

Pria took a deep breath. Agonizing over what happened wouldn't change it. She would just have to press forward. As long as he didn't kill her or kick her out, she could take whatever Rahu had to throw at her.

She realized that Geight was just floating across from her. If he had eyes, he would be staring. "What?"

"You're angry."

"I'm not mad at you," she sighed, removing the cover from her food. Some type of pasta dish with vegetables waited beneath, making her stomach grumble. As she took the first bite, she couldn't help but once again feel guilty that she feasted while her people suffered.

"But you are angry."

Pria sighed, but she didn't get the chance to respond. She heard the door open behind her and immediately stiffened, her grip on her fork turning white. She could tell by the sound of his footsteps alone that it was Rahu. She kept her head down, waiting for the man to say something, but that proved just as fruitless as any other time. The ascendant simply retrieved his food and sat down at the head of the table.

She snuck a glance at him. He didn't have a book this time, but he still seemed determined to ignore her, his attention solely on his food. If she wasn't before, she was now certain that he was playing mind games with her. Letting her stew in her dread, waiting for the perfect moment to pounce.

She wouldn't let him know he was getting to her. Even though her appetite curdled up and died the moment he opened the door, she resolutely forced herself to keep eating.

The tension in the air was thick enough to cut. She wondered if her voice would even be enough to carry through it if she said something—which was ridiculous, of course it would. Almost felt like it wouldn't, though. Even oblivious Geight was silent, no doubt picking up on the atmosphere. It was impossible not to.

"Soooo," Geight said, drifting closer to Rahu, "Pria started sorting the books in the library today."

Pria glared at the orb. This was exactly what she'd been afraid of—Geight giving reports to her enemy on her doings. Rahu, for his part, looked up at the orb with a blank expression. "Oh, right." Like he'd forgotten. Like Pria was so low on his list of priorities that he hadn't even spared a thought for what she'd been doing all day. She knew better though—she'd managed to make him furious, after all. "How did that go?"

"Fine," she gritted out. Rahu glanced at her and just as swiftly looked away, his nostrils flaring. He didn't say anything though, which was even more infuriating than if he'd started shouting. At least that was expected. At least she knew how to react to that.

"She, uh, read the books out loud so I could learn, too. I, uh, was just sort of wondering..."

Rahu's stony expression softened slightly at Geight's hesitation. "Yes?"

"Well, we came across a couple books on like, healing and storm magic and stuff. And that got me thinking about my own magic. I was just, uh, wondering what it's like. For humans, I mean. When they do illusion magic."

Pria fought the urge to stare at him. She kept her head down but her ears sharp and couldn't completely keep the smile off her face. Looked like Geight really was her ally after all. He was about as subtle as a blazing meteor, but he was trying. She'd have to thank him later.

Rahu was silent for a moment. She wanted to know if he was watching her but didn't dare draw any attention to herself. He couldn't take an apprentice. He couldn't teach her about magic—not that he'd want to after today, she was sure. But if he was just talking with one of his aspects, answering one of his questions in earshot of her, what was the harm in it?

She didn't think for a moment Rahu didn't know why Geight was doing what he was doing. But that didn't stop the ascendant from answering. "You'll know when you're older," he said. Pria gritted her teeth, trying and failing not to be disappointed by the dodge. To her surprise, Rahu continued, "You, Peven, and Nine are probably the only ones young enough not to quite know. Your magic grows with your age and with it, your knowledge. In time, you would simply come to understand it. Illusion magic is your imprint on the world. The product of your thoughts shaping your vision. The light in your mind taking shape so that everyone else around you might see it too."

Just think about it and a beam of light shoots out, Pria thought wryly. Rahu's explanation was about as helpful.

"Cool!" Geight chirped. "I have no idea what that means."

Rahu chuckled. "This stuff is hard to explain. It's magic, after all, not pure science. I can't explain it in any more plain terms. If a person wants to make an illusion, they have to see it themselves. They have to picture it in their minds so strongly that they can harness that image and make everyone around them see it too. That is illusion magic."

Pria pushed one of the sliced carrots around the edge of her plate, digesting the information. It didn't sound so complicated when he put it like that.

"Ohhhhh," Geight said. "Still don't really get it. What about you, Pria?"

Pria froze. She looked first at Geight, then at Rahu. The ascendant watched her with his cold eyes, and the dimming fire inside her once again roared. She forced herself to keep her voice even. "I think I get it."

"Oh, that's good. You can always explain it to me after lunch."

Pria nodded, tearing her gaze from Rahu's and focusing back on her plate. She shouldn't speak to him. He was still mad at her, and she was still angry with him. But there had been more than just books on magic in that library that left her confused.

"If I might ask you a question, Lord Rahu?" she asked. It was pragmatic—not cowardly—that she didn't look at him while she spoke. That might be seen as a challenge.

A beat passed without a sound. "Yes."

The answer itself almost sounded like a question. It seemed neither of them were looking forward to the ensuing conversation. "We also found a history book that said you were alive during the War of Fate. Is that true?"

Rahu was silent long enough that Pria thought he was back to ignoring her. He said she could ask, not that he'd answer. She clenched her jaw and glared at him before she could stop to think why that was a bad idea. Rahu wasn't looking at her though. He was staring down at his food.

"Yes," he said. Geight gave a stuttering pulse, but Pria didn't pay any mind to him.

She pressed him, keeping her voice as nonchalant as possible, "You must be old, then."

"Very."

"How?" Careful, that voice that sounded so much like Cestra instructed. Keep it calculated. Don't let it feel like an interrogation. "I mean, the book said you were immortal. Did you really find the secret to immortality?"

"Did I give you permission for a second question?" Rahu snapped, his stiff mask of a face contorting into the picture of rage. It only lasted half a second—enough that Pria could see and process it—before he closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Pria barely breathed. "Don't ask after answers you won't want or understand."

She ached for the anger that carried her here. Instead, terror coursed through her veins, keeping her head low and her breaths tight and short. "My apologies, my lord."

"Let's establish some ground rules, shall we, Miss Pria?" Rahu continued, voice hard. Pria didn't risk a glance at his face, but she was sure if she did, his inquisitive gaze would instead be sharp enough to kill. "Our paths rarely need to cross. You will complete the tasks I lay out before you and approach me once they are finished so you may receive your next one. If you must explore the tower, you will do so only under the supervision of Viris, Aone, Qwo, or Dree. If, for some reason, the tower attempts to goad you into any strange rooms, you will not enter. If, for some reason, you absolutely must go into the room, you will wait for one of the aforementioned members of my household to escort you. When I pay attention, I can pinpoint where you are in the tower. If I were you, I would not be somewhere that could lead to trouble."

She knew he was angry, but it was a bit of a relief learning just how little he cared about her. As long as she wasn't causing trouble, he didn't want to know what she was up to. She had a job; he expected her to do it. It didn't sound like he could really spy on her—just know where she was. That just meant she needed to bide her time and only go exploring once she knew for sure that he wouldn't divert his attention to her. He didn't care otherwise.

Then why was she here at all? Maybe he really did just want another servant. Maybe he was just proving a point to a king that didn't allow him to have his own students. Whatever his reason was, Pria needed to find out and see if she could use it to her advantage.

"I do not always get the chance to sit down and eat during the day. When I do, it is usually the one respite I take from my work. I want it to be peaceful. That means I expect silence, or at the absolute minimum, questions that are not wholly invasive. Do you understand?"

She bristled at his condescending tone of voice. She didn't even think the question about immortality was all that rude—but then, she wasn't a mage. Maybe to him, it was, but it still wasn't her fault. At least he wasn't kicking her out. "Yes, my lord."

"Good. Now, stand up."

Pria obeyed. She was good at that, just like she was good at taking the hits. She could handle it. She'd known that Rahu was just like any other lord. She was ready.

He stepped around the table. Pria watched his boots draw closer, knowing that it was better to be submissive despite her desire to face him head on.

"Rahu?" Geight bobbed closer. Pria could see his fuzzy reflection in the wood of her chair, his lights a twisting mix of gray and green.

"Why don't you go fetch Sive, Geight?" he said, voice devoid of any inflection. Pria forced herself to take even breaths. It didn't matter that Sive was the healing aspect. It didn't matter what that implied about what was about to happen. Pria could take it.

Geight disappeared from her peripheral vision. She was alone, just like always. "Your arm, Miss Pria."

She knew this one, too. She held out her arm, her eyes already tracing the light dusting of scars that ran up and down the flesh. Usually, it was a plank of wood that hit as sharply as a whip. In a strange sense of detachment, she wondered if Rahu would use magic in some awful, twisted way instead, as humans tended to do.

Pria braced herself as Rahu grabbed her hand, holding out his other. His outstretched fingertips began to glow with a fierce, white light, and when he curled his hand into a fist, a small, glowing dagger appeared in his grasp. He brought it up to hover over the crook of her elbow, its unnatural edge seeming to both catch the sunlight from above as well as shine on its own. She fought against the urge to tense as the tip drew closer to her skin. She would not let him see how much this bothered her. She would not allow herself to appear weak.

"Sure are a lot of scars," he murmured. Pria did not sneer at him, no matter how much she wanted to.

"Yes, well, I was a servant to another lord before you. He didn't take kindly to mistakes either."

Rahu stopped, his brows furrowing slightly. He opened his mouth to say something but closed it again and shook his head. "Just hold still."

She held her breath as he plunged the dagger into her flesh. It bit the same as any blade, sharp and cold despite the warmth of its appearance.

He just held it there. She gaped at the little blade half an inch deep in her arm. It didn't even hurt past the initial cut. Just a bit uncomfortable. Any shock she was feeling tripled a moment later when the blade's light started to shine a soft pink, starting at the tip and slowly working its way up. It took her a moment to figure out why.

The dagger was absorbing her blood.

She tried to jerk back, but Rahu's grip on her was firm. "What-?"

"Don't move," he ordered, the barest outlines of a scowl on his face. Or maybe he was just concentrating. "I just need a bit."

It was hard to keep her calm facade now. She suspected he might want her for experiments, but, well, she didn't think it would really happen. It was something sinister and terrifying but faraway—a problem for Pria to prepare for in the future. Not right now.

"What do you even want with my blood?" Pria asked, proud that her voice didn't waver. Never let them know you're scared, and they'll never be able to use it against you.

He was silent for a moment. When the entire blade of his dagger shone with an angry red, he drew away. "I need the blood of a maiden for a spell I've been wanting to try for some time. That's not the sort of thing you can fabricate or easily obtain around these parts." He let go of his weapon, but it didn't fall, instead morphing into a maroon sphere. A bubble filled with her blood.

Pria's arm was still bleeding. A pearl of blood slowly gathered where he cut her before finally spilling over. She absently wiped at the bead and pressed a thumb to the injury. "Is that it?"

Rahu had the nerve to cock his head at her, waving a hand. The ball containing her blood vanished, probably dismissed to one of his labs to be toyed with. "What do you mean?"

And because Pria was still afraid despite the way she glared at him, she did not voice her questions. Why he wasn't beating her, why he wasn't adding more scars to her collection for her insolence. Why he let her look at him with such venom in her eyes and did nothing about it.

She'd been ready to take the blows. She knew how to react to that. She had no idea what this was.

She was saved from a response by the arrival of Geight and the aspect that was probably Sive. Compared to Geight's core, Sive's was somehow even more chaotic, no part of its surface smooth or motionless for even a fraction of a second. The aspect dove toward her, bobbing up and down excitedly. "Hey there! My name is Sive. Let's see what we're dealing with, hm?"

Pria furrowed her brow, trying to determine if their voice was male or female. At some points, it seemed to be both overlaid, like two people were talking. Other times, it was one voice that could have belonged to a man or a woman. She opened her mouth to introduce herself and maybe ask for some clarification, but Sive didn't give her the chance.

The aspect drew back and shot out a wide beam of light that spread over Pria's whole body. "Hm, lots of scars aren't there? Not befitting of a nice little lady like you, wouldn't you say? Well, I can get rid of the newest ones, at least. Oh, and a little nick on your arm. That's not so bad."

"Wait—" Pria darted out of their light, throwing her hands out in front of her—"hold on." She couldn't articulate it, but she didn't want her scars gone. Not any of them. They defined her, in a way. A sign that she's dove through the fire and come out the other side. A reminder of where she came from and what she was fighting for etched onto her body. "Just heal my arm. None of—nothing else."

Sive let out a little pulse. "You sure, sweetie? I think you would be much better off with a few less scars. And while we're on the subject, your clothes aren't very flattering either. Those colors just are not working for you. And did you go rolling around in dirt for a living before this? You're as dusty as a sand fly."

Pria narrowed her eyes at the aspect even as she could feel her cheeks heat up. She glanced at Geight for support—and maybe to see Rahu's reaction to this—but thankfully Rahu was gone, and Geight was giggling, body shining in time with his laughter. "Just heal my arm," she gritted out.

Sive sighed. "I'm so unappreciated around here," they lamented, even as they spun closer to Pria's arm. Their body shone brighter for a beat. There was a warm prickling around the cut, then nothing. Pria prodded around the skin, but it was like she was never injured. "There. That's all I'm good for, right? Healing. It's not my job to help you with a makeover or anything. You're perfectly fine in your ugly clothes with your smelly hair."

Pria glared at them. She was positive her entire face was on fire. "My hair does not smell. How would you know anyway? You don't even have a nose."

"Oh, right. I'm an aspect. I don't have a nose or a fashion sense, is that it? Go on, keep breaking my nonexistent heart, why don't you?"

Pria wanted to facepalm. She settled for grinding her teeth and whirling toward Geight. He just laughed at her. "It will be easier if you just go along with it. Viris doesn't let them do dress up with him very often."

It would be a welcome distraction from whatever just happened with Rahu. In fact, a thought popped into her head. "Sive? Is there a place to bathe outside of the tower?"

"Why?"

Pria shrugged and hoped the act was convincing. "It feels like the tower is constantly watching me. It's kind of creepy. I'd rather wash up somewhere outside it, if possible." Which wasn't a lie. Just because the tower seemed to like her didn't mean she wanted it or anyone else around when she was bathing.

"Yeah, there's a place that should work."

"There is?" Geight asked.

"Oh, honey," Sive said. Geight remained as unaffected as ever, but Pria couldn't help but feel mildly insulted on his behalf. "Yes, there is. I'd loved to show you, sweetie, if you want. If my lack of feet to walk with you doesn't bother you."

As much as the aspect filled her with all sorts ofmixed feelings, Pria agreed. There was much to be done if she could find aprivate place away from Rahu's eyes. Not to mention it would just make her feelbetter. "Lead on."