THE MATCH ended with a crushing Ashford victory. The guests—the strange, high-society monsters of the Exile world—filtered back toward the manor, their voices a low buzz of "civilized savagery." They looked at the Ashfords with a new, terrifying respect.
Mailah stayed on the balcony, unable to move. Her heart was still a frantic bird in her chest. A shadow fell over her, and she turned to see Ravenson standing beside her. He looked as silent and cold as a tombstone.
"Impressive, isn't he?" Ravenson asked, his voice a low, melodic hum.
"He looked like he was barely trying," Mailah whispered, her voice shaking.
The emerald field was empty now, but the air still hummed with the aftershocks of the game. Mailah stayed on the balcony, her hands still trembling as they gripped the cold stone. She could still see the way Grayson had moved—like a blade of silver cutting through a sea of black.
