As another treacherous storm slams against the windows, white streaks of icy snow thumping against the glass, I'm happy to know I won't have to make another visit down to the sun houses to teach Luminary children how to kill a weed without taking out the entire garden.

My visitation does not come without duties. With Zikkora as my guide and as a physical blockade for any unwanted conversation, I have aided other Luminary trainers in teaching the youngest students, all while keeping a close eye on Edire. I nearly had to beg to join her rotation, but Fidibi couldn't have been happier to discover the news. And my reward is finally here.

A slice of vanilla cake with sweet, butter icing and caramel drizzled over the top. I take a large swipe with my fork and smile broadly as Fidibi does the same, brows furrowed as she tries to catch enough caramel. Swiped from the kitchens while the cooks weren't looking, she didn't have time to snatch a side of caramel sauce to douse the cake.

Either way, my appetite—and my empty stomach—are pleased with what she managed to grab. "So tell me, is Zikkora being gentle enough with your training?" she questions, sliding her teeth along the fork to drag out a screech of protest from the metal. "All this time I have known him, he has always been a stickler. He never smiles, never converses with anyone he doesn't have to."

Sticky caramel lodges in my teeth and I stretch the corners of my mouth to break it free. "Unless we're speaking about powers or adaptations or...my failures, Zikkora doesn't speak. But I can see why he's one of the best trainers in the kingdom." I cut off another bite, waggling my fork one last time in Fidibi's direction. Across the room, Edire sounds out complicated works on the open spread of a child's book. She huddles against the pillows on my bed, nearly disappearing in the folds of heavy fabric. "He truly knows how to give untrained Luminaries an advantage when they haven't previously understood the magnitude of their strengths."

Fidibi nods. After another long shift, she has granted herself enough time to not only bring me cake, but spend a few hours on my sofa before night falls and she has to start another shift, leaving Edire in the hands of those in the nursery. Uncommon in use, but every servant serves their purpose in the Void Palace.

"Do you know why he has those burns?" I ask. "Did he ever tell you the story of what happened?"

She scrunches up her dark nose, considering. "I don't know if it's true, but the story goes that he protected the Void Queen against Cloak Terravale."

My entire body freezes, fork stuck between my lips, teeth clenching down in shock. Cloak couldn't have caused those wounds, he couldn't have. Unless he knew of Zikkora's power.

"It was an accident, apparently. Face first in the fire, long enough to earn those burns." Fidibi taps her temple for emphasis.

"That doesn't sound like the Void Queen, to walk into the capital knowing the consequences. And to take someone else with her..." My voice trails off, still in shock while thinking about Cloak's involvement with wounds that'll never be fixed.

Around a bite of cake, Fidibi says, "They didn't go into the capital. The Void Queen and Zikkora were out on an expedition, searching for Luminaries in the Void when Cloak Terravale stumbled upon them. He wouldn't leave barring a fight, one they both came out of with injuries. At least, that is what I heard. That could be a complete lie."

It can't be. But it can. Cloak has always despised his aunt, and I'm fairly certain his goal is to end her life so his mother doesn't spend sleepless nights worrying about the outcome of her tenure. And for his own sake. Any order Cloak receives directly results from Wyetta's doings, and as much as he doesn't care for taking the lives of others, I wouldn't doubt he's willing to sacrifice one more.

He killed that Luminary right in front of me, inches away from impaling my own heart. One that does not comply deserves the blade. Swift words after I attempted to argue with him for a second time after we departed, heading for yet another Luminary he believed to be of complying order. I should've said, "One that doesn't care for killing shouldn't take a life." But then I would've been dead too.

I hadn't realized Cloak has any association with the Void Queen other than the fact that she's his aunt, but it makes sense. They can't go their entire lives without running into each other at least once. Rivian is vast, but the Panjandrum Corps knows where to find the most Luminaries. In the Void where they're born.

"Cloak mentioned nothing about Zikkora," I say to no one in particular. "And Zikkora has never made the notion that he's aware of my association with Cloak." I scoff, putting the pieces together. "You'd think he would hate me from the start, simply for knowing his enemy."

"Zikkora is not all bad. He doesn't hate without reason, he's actually easy to get along with once you get past the idea that he's...cold at times." Fidibi flashes a sweet smile that resembles Edire in every way. Her crooked lips turn upward, one side possessing more give than the other. "Maybe you thought of him all wrong. His hard shell is a means of protection, not a blockade as you might think."

I take the last bite of my cake and rest the plate in my lap. A moment later, as I frown at the lack of remaining caramel swiped thinly across the black porcelain, Edire skips around the sofa, bouncing at her mother's elbow. Without having to ask, Fidibi scoops the last bite of her cake and tells Edire to open her mouth. The child acts on command, opening wider than necessary, and globs up the white cake with ease.

Her sheened cheeks puff out unnaturally, causing both of us to smile without prior realization. The light she carries with her, that of pure, unaltered love, is enough to sway us in her direction. Anyone sane would've given her the last bite.

"She's very well-behaved," I compliment as the young girl bounces back around the sofa, tugging once on her mother's braids in departure. Fidibi frowns and rubs at the back of her head. "During her lesson, she was desperate to learn. More so than the other students much older than she is. They don't have a grasp on their powers, yet she does. Somehow."

"Long hours went into altering her focus on the training field. I want her to be stronger and smarter than the rest of the students, even the seasoned Luminaries. As one of the few children, she stands out." Fidibi's smile is involuntary, brought on by contemplations of her daughter's evolving skill.

Fidibi cranes her neck over the sofa. Her daughter has moved on to making her dolls dance along the spread page of the book, but she takes great care to not rip the edge or fault the ink. Though not an interesting book, she lasted much longer than I would've.

As Fidibi watches Edire, I watch Fidibi. A mother's love is never shortcoming, never without doubt or protest. Not a day goes by that nerves don't plague her sleep. In these moments, when she can truly relax and look back on every moment of varied emotion, that of happiness, sadness, fear, and anger, the bond they share comes together in the physical embodiment of her daughter. Without her, Fidibi wouldn't know love as she has with Edire. Even that of a husband, parent, or sibling isn't enough to match the affection that tears apart the soul—attentive in mother to child.

"I do wish the Void Queen would slow down though," she says to the remainder of the room rather than directly to me. Her eyes fall to the bottom of my bed where Edire's braids hang over the edge. She has plopped down onto the mattress with her dolls fluttering in the air above her head, surrounded by soft pink glitter that glows in the candlelight. "She is trying to adapt Edire's ability to master a Luminary tether."

My mouth immediately turns down. "Did you tell her that wasn't a good idea?" I question. A child of that age mastering a Luminary tether...it wouldn't bode well.

"I haven't, no." She chews on the inside of her cheek, mouth quirking. "I don't understand much about the Luminary tether but she continues to promise that such training and mastering of the skill won't hurt Edire."

"Mutes used to be exhausted in the capital, nearly every day. I never played it back to him using the Luminary tether, I figured his life weighed on his shoulders and he couldn't sleep. He looked terrible, Fidibi. More often than not, he fell asleep standing up, and I nearly had to carry him back to my chambers so he could lie down." I shake my head as the illustration of Edire behaving the same way comes into my mind. The poor child couldn't handle it. "Even training that skill would be a huge drain to Edire, especially at her age. She's not nearly ready for something so complex."

Fidibi's face drains of color. For the first time, she doesn't make googly eyes at me at the mention of anything with Mutes; the nights we have spent together were only interrupted once when Fidibi brought a basket of clothes early in the morning and Mutes was still curled up against my back, a warm hand pressed into my stomach. She turned redder than a tomato and backed out of the room, throwing a hand over her eyes and muttering an apology.

I couldn't get away with not explaining. My friendship with Mutes, memorable moments with Cloak and the need to release some tension that comes with being a Luminary. My body still hasn't adjusted, and I fear it won't for longer than I'm here. If the Void Queen plans to head to the capital in a matter of weeks, I might not be adjusted into my Luminary skin yet.

The moment I stop craving physical attention from someone I shouldn't, I'll know my Luminary skin is stitched perfectly to my physical appearance. Until then...Mutes comes without me having to ask.

"Have you ever tried it?" Fidibi asks. "The tether?"

I shake my head. "No, I haven't."

"Do you know any Luminaries back home? Or anywhere, really?"

Gustus and Chaska. Their smiling faces manifest in my thoughts, blurred around the edges. Small features fade away in my memories of them, leaving behind only the basis of who they are. Even the sound of their voice is lost to me.

I blink away the unsettlement of believing they'll disappear from my mind after only a matter of weeks. They both mean the world to me, yet I have focused long and hard on myself for too many days that I haven't established time to think about them, nor have them show up in my dreams. Normally, they do. On any given night, the fuzzy outline of their bodies grows in a white room. Sometimes, it's Cloak. Other times, Gustus, Chaska, or Castiel. They never speak, they don't blink.

This isn't the time to lie to Fidibi. I nod slowly and pick a piece of non-existent lint from my pants. "I do know...a Luminary."

"Would you consider attempting the tether so I can see the strain? I imagine the effort it takes for you would be the same as it would for Edire since you have never attempted it before." Fidibi perks up and scoots closer, enough for me to lean back. The armrest prevents me from distancing any further, and I'm left to stare into her expectant, purple stare. Flecks of white muddle within, stretching like someone dragged a needle through a star.

"I am curious to see if I could do something like that," I mumble to the plate in my lap. "Why not? Let's try."

I set the plate on the table and Fidibi squeals with glee. She claps her hands together, granting Edire's attention as the dolls have turned to life once more, but can't speak. They clatter to the floor, back in wooden form, when Edire loses focus at the sound of her mother's enthusiasm.

I rub my hands along my thighs; my palms are suddenly covered in sweat. "Where would the best place to do it be?" I question.

She examines the room, humming underneath her breath. "The Void Queen always has Edire lay in bed when she's attempting to channel that ability. You need a flat, comfortable surface to ease into contentment. Or something like that. I don't pay enough attention during her lessons."

I snort and follow her to the bed. She rips back the duvet and I slide underneath. Her fingers jam back into the side of the duvet after pulling it over me, tucking the warm fabric in tight to my sides. If I wasn't nervous before, I certainly am now. Before hearing about Mutes' association with the Void Queen, I never thought about my access to the Luminary tether.

Chaska and I always had the idea our minds were connected through friendship, we seemed to hear each other without speaking, but the tether might have been responsible for those whispered conversations. We spent enough time together that our hidden powers became acclimated together and acted on their own. Some of my exhaustion might have evolved from involuntarily using the tether, not hiding everything for three years.

Everything becomes clear as I close my eyes, folding my hands over my stomach. I wrinkle my nose; Mutes's scent clings to the pillow. This is the side of the bed he sleeps on.

"Focus your thoughts," Fidibi tells me from beyond the dark. Her voice is soft, yet anxious.

"What am I supposed to focus on?" I crack an eye open and she drags her fingers over my face, closing it once more.

I hear her hands clap together as she tries to think of something convincing. "I don't know. Just...imagine what you're supposed to do and hope that works."

My laugh shakes the entire bed, squeaking the bed frame, and Edire mimics my joy with a giggle of her own.

Easing myself down, I try to focus on what I should. Gustus's face appears in my mind, his flowing hair, easy smile, and glistening eyes. Even if we are far apart, I must attempt to connect to him in the capital. Imagining a hand reaching out, searching through the dark of my vision for something...a light catches my attention.

Not just any light, a golden light. It spirals, sparkling in a tight circle, and lashes out past me. I flinch, my body tightening, but my eyes don't open. That thread, golden and thick, stretches into the dark. My vision turns, following it, but I can't see the end. It's too far.

Something about this feels familiar. If my suspicions are correct, I have completed tethers for years now. Just with less strain to reach a monumental distance such as this. Gustus is hundreds of miles away, Chaska was always around the corner of within arm's reach. All of those days must have prepared me for this. I was using my Luminary powers long before I revealed myself to the palace as a healer.

With no other choice, I take hold of that golden string. My head spins, the world turns in on itself, and I can't help but wonder if I'm falling. Body turning cold, shivering, I discover that the tether goes much deeper than I thought. I can't open my eyes. They're locked shut, my body won't move, and I have dived too deep to reach the surface.

This feels faintly similar to being dragged to the bottom of the river by a serpent. Slow pressure fills my skull, cold seeps into every crack and crevice within my body. I can't hear Edire or Fidibi anymore, their hands don't grasp me to shake awake. Not even their voices can be heard this deep into my power.

The golden string takes me farther and farther into the depths of ancient Luminary strength until finally, something. Accompanied by icy cold and black, a bead of light grows brighter—stronger. Wider. I lock my eyes onto it, or what I believe to be my eyes, and careen towards it.

That's where the trail ends. Gold disappears through that light, seemingly melting. I tuck my body into a ball and leap through the hole; my feet landing perfectly in a very bright, blurry room. Wait, I recognize this. I'm in the dining hall at the palace.

I look down. My feet are visible. My body is...a physical form of something. A glowing mass of energy, I believe. But that's not what I'm here for.

I squint in the bright light and look around, spinning in a circle until I find what I'm looking for. The voices of those sitting at the tables are muffled and unbothered. They can't see me. I'm completely invisible. Someone's laugh vibrates my skull, shaking my teeth, but I don't find it within a familiar face.

My focus locks on a table towards the middle of the room and I halt, eyes widening. There he is. Gustus Terravale.