I woke up late, calm, and with no pain.
That was suspicious.
For a few seconds, I lay still and stared at the ceiling like it had personally caused the problem. Same pale ceiling. Same dark beams. Same thin crack near the corner that looked like someone had tried to draw a river and gave up halfway.
No Stacy standing over me with that face she used when I had done something technically survivable but emotionally expensive.
No Kayda beside me either.
Her side of the bed was neat. Too neat. The blanket had not been kicked loose. Her pillow was still where it was supposed to be.
I stared at her side for a few seconds longer than I needed to.
Then I looked at my hands.
The deep burn in my veins was gone. The tight, crawling ache under my wrists was gone too. Even the ugly pull in my shoulders had faded into something small enough to ignore.
Yesterday, I had stored a time-lock artifact in my dimensional storage after Stacy used her mother voice and commander voice at the same time. My veins had lit up like someone dragged hot wire through them. I had cracked her coffee table, which was absolutely already cracked before I touched it, and then I had sat on her couch pretending I was not one bad twitch away from falling over.
I lifted my hand in front of me and narrowed my eyes at it.
"You better not be pretending," I muttered.
The artifact was still in my storage.
I could feel it there if I focused. Not like weight. More like knowing a locked door was standing behind me.
It was not pulling at my mana. It was just there.
Ancient objects should either behave weirdly or explode. Sitting quietly made them look smug.
I pushed the blanket back and sat up.
"Huh."
The room felt much bigger without Kayda in it.
It was our room, but today it felt like mine was only borrowing her half. Her folded clothes still sat in the carved chest near the wall. One of her hair ribbons hung over the mirror frame, red against dark wood. A book she had been reading before leaving sat on the little table by the window, a strip of cloth marking the page. She would probably complain if I moved it.
So I didn't.
I looked toward the weapon rack instead.
My weapons were lined against the wall, cleaned and arranged from longest to shortest. The two long blades sat closest to the bed. The short curved pair was below them. My long knife rested across a folded cloth on the chair, as if someone had honored it for behaving. My chakrams stood at the end of the row, impatient just like me.
I could use the steel.
Not all of it properly. Not without mana. Half the weapons would stay asleep, and the fancy parts would be dead weight until my veins stopped being dramatic. But steel was still steel.
Maybe that was enough.
For now.
I looked out the window and sighed.
The garden outside was already bright. Too bright. The sun had climbed well past breakfast, which meant I had missed it by a decent amount. That also meant someone had let me sleep.
I got dressed slowly, testing my arms as I moved. Shirt first. Trousers. Belt. Boots.
I had just finished tying my hair back when someone knocked on my door.
A soft low knock.
I grabbed one of the short blades out of habit and opened the door halfway.
Nekro stood outside.
She looked better than she had last night, but only because everyone looked better after not actively fighting. Her dark hair was tied back, and her coat was buttoned wrong near the top like she had dressed while thinking about six other things. Dark marks sat under her eyes, but that was normal for her. Or maybe I had gotten too used to it.
Her gaze dropped to the blade in my hand.
"Were you expecting an assassin?"
"I'm always expecting an assassin."
"In the mansion?"
"Especially in the mansion. Rich houses have too many shadows."
Nekro blinked once. "That is not how assassins work."
"That is exactly what an assassin hiding in the shadows would say."
She stared at me for a second, then decided not to fight me verbally this early in the day.
"Lady Amari is waiting for you in the garden."
I looked past her down the corridor.
The mansion was quiet in the late morning. Not empty. Just controlled. Servants moved somewhere farther off. A window stood open down the hall, letting warm air crawl over the polished floor. No squad gear. No crates. No armor piles. No field mess.
Just the Draig mansion pretending it was not full of dangerous people.
"Garden?" I asked.
"Yes."
"Did she say why?"
"She said you would ask that."
"Annoying."
"She also said to tell you breakfast is waiting there."
I narrowed my eyes. "That sounds like bait."
"It probably is."
"At least you're honest."
Nekro's mouth twitched, not quite a smile. "Apricot wanted to come wake you, but Sirone stopped her."
"Why?"
"She was carrying three blankets, a tray, and one of her puppet drones."
"That sounds normal."
"She said she was prepared for every outcome."
"What was the drone for?"
Nekro looked away. "Emotional support, apparently."
I stared at her.
'The fuck does she need emotional support and three blankets for?' I thought, and then decided not to say it.
Nekro stared at the wall.
Apricot and Nekro.
Still careful around each other, but not bad enough to turn into a mission problem. Not yet. I had heard it was worse between people who used to share beds and then had to share a battlefield. Most of the time, they either got over it or got someone killed.
These two had not done either, and it did not seem like that would ever happen.
So I let it stay there for now.
"Is the squad awake?" I asked.
"Most of them. Brenda is with Lady Stacy. Sirone is pretending she is not waiting outside medical. Olivia is helping with supply lists. Rin is being watched by Brit."
"Uhuh."
"That was your answer?"
"It was the answer the report deserved."
Nekro looked at the short blade still in my hand. "Are you taking that?"
I looked at the blade, then back into the room. Kayda's side of the bed stayed empty. Her ribbon still hung over the mirror. Her book still waited by the window.
I left the blade on the table near the door instead of carrying it.
Nekro noticed, but she did not comment.
I stepped into the corridor and closed the door behind me.
"Lead the way," I said.
Nekro turned toward the stairs. "You know where the garden is."
"I know. But if Amari set a trap with breakfast, I'm making you walk into it first."
"That is terrible leadership."
"That is experienced leadership."
Nekro made a small sound that might have been a laugh if someone had scared it first.
I followed her down the hall.
The mansion looked too clean for the amount of trouble living inside it. Sunlight came through the tall windows. Servants moved with trays, folded cloth, and messages tucked under their arms. Somewhere below, someone laughed, then got quiet fast enough that they probably remembered who lived here.
Nekro walked one step ahead of me. She did not look back much, but she watched me through small things. Slowing at the stairs. Pausing near a turn.
"You keep checking," she said.
"Do I?"
"Yes."
"Creepy that you noticed."
"I notice things."
"You and half this squad need worse hobbies."
She glanced back. "Are you fine?"
"No."
Her step paused.
I kept walking, so she had to continue.
"I'm not injured-fine," I said. "I'm suspicious-fine."
"Is that different?"
"Yes. Injured-fine means I am fine and everyone is annoying. Suspicious-fine means I am fine and the universe is annoying."
Nekro stared ahead. "Does that make sense to you?"
"Of course. I am the one who made the logic."
That almost got another sound out of her.
We reached the lower hall. Two maids carrying folded sheets stopped when they saw me.
I raised my hand. "Don't make it weird."
The younger maid squeaked, bowed, and nearly dropped the sheets.
The older one bowed properly and dragged her away before she could say something stupid.
Nekro watched them go. "People are still nervous."
"People are always nervous."
We turned toward the garden doors. The mansion's back doors were open, leading out onto the wide stone terrace. Past that, the garden stretched in trimmed paths, low trees, bright flowers, and a pond that reflected too much sun.
It looked peaceful.
Suspicious little place.
Nekro stopped at the doorway.
I looked at her. "Not coming?"
"Lady Amari asked for you alone."
"Of course she did."
"She also said I should make sure you actually came."
"Did she think I'd run?"
Nekro gave me a flat look.
"Fair."
I stepped onto the terrace, then stopped and looked back at her.
She had already turned halfway to leave.
"Hey."
Nekro paused.
"Apricot really tried to bring three blankets?"
"Yes."
"And a tray?"
"Yes."
"And a puppet drone?"
"Yes."
I nodded slowly. "That girl needs a hobby that does not involve treating me like something exotic."
"She was scared," Nekro said.
"I know."
Nekro looked like she wanted to say more. Then she shut her mouth.
I could have pushed.
I did not.
Nekro left without anything more.
I faced the garden.
Amari sat near the pond at the smaller table Kayda liked. Not the formal gazebo. Not the big terrace where people sat when they wanted to pretend a meeting was casual. The smaller table had shade, enough space for food, and a good view of anyone approaching.
Amari had chosen it on purpose.
Breakfast waited on the table. Bread, eggs, sliced meat, fruit, tea, and a small plate of bones just for me.
Bait.
Amari sat with papers stacked beside her cup. Not neat papers. Not council-ready papers. More like she had dumped them there so she would not throw them into the pond.
She looked up before I reached her.
"You're late."