‘There you are,’ he says jovially.

I jump to my feet, trying not to gawk. He’s changed so much. His hair has gone, his figure has rounded, and there’s a pittedness to his skin that looks to have been caused by overindulging in drink. He’s a long way from the warrior my parents considered their friend – on the outside, anyway.

‘Lord Lorathin.’ Remembering my manners, I hurry across to the door and bend my knees in a poorly practised curtsy. ‘I cannot thank you enough for what you have done for my sister. Your generosity in bringing her here, so that I can see her at these events, is more than I could have dreamed.’

His smile reveals two rows of perfectly white teeth. ‘Rose, please, call me Artur. And it is my honour. Kay has been quite the perfect houseguest. And from what I hear, you’re a rather formidable Rettling.’

‘I am grateful that Etta and the Gods have favoured me thus far.’

‘And long may it continue.’ He flashes me another smile before turning his attention to my sister.

‘Acacia, dearest, it is time we head back to the apartment. The king has retired and it is only good form that we do the same.’

‘Oh. Of course.’ She tries to smile, but I know that, just like me, there’s reluctance in every pore of her body to be separated again. She turns to look at me and her eyes fill with tears.

I try to hold my own back, to be strong for her.

‘I love you,’ I whisper, holding her so close I’m sure that neither of us can breathe. But I don’t care. Breathing doesn’t matter if Kay’s not in my life. ‘This isn’t goodbye, remember? Only three more trials.’ Though I can admit to myself that that’s three too many.

When I break away, tears stream down her cheeks.

‘Please stay alive, Rose. I won’t be okay if I lose you, too. Please stay safe.’

‘I promise that it’s at the top of my to-do list,’ I quip, squeezing her once more.

She turns and takes the arm Artur has extended for her.

‘Goodnight, Rose.’ His voice is courteous, but the pause that follows feels sharp somehow. ‘I’m sure we will see you again. If Etta wills it so.’

My body clock wakes me early the next morning, and I stumble half-asleep down to the yard. It’s only when I’m nearly to the weapons cabinet that I realise Zelle will not be waiting for me. The knowledge is like a sledgehammer to the heart, and the pain only increases at the sight of Kyor sleeping by the cabinet, an empty bottle in his hand and a few other empties alongside him.

I hesitate for just a beat before waking him.

‘You can’t sleep here,’ I say, noting the red rim of his eyes. ‘You’ll freeze.’

I help him to his feet, but it’s not easy and he sways dangerously as I try to find my balance to hold him upright. Finally, I’ve got him in a position I can handle, with an arm wrapped around his waist, and using more force than seems kind, I tug him forward. Apparently, it’s my turn to lead.

It’s slow going out of the yard, and he toys with my hair as we stagger together. I let him, mostly because wrestling free would mean dropping him flat on the floor.

After what feels like one of the most intense workouts I’ve had so far, I get him into the warmth of the barracks. The question is where to go next. There are plenty of seats in the dining hall, but the last thing he needs is for the other Rettlings to see him in this state. Most will understand, but undoubtedly some will see his compassion as weakness. I could take him to the dorms, but manoeuvring him up the stairs feels even more daunting than getting him inside. The kitchen downstairs, however? Food and water would be his friend, and I could stand in front of him as we head down to ensure he doesn’t fall.

‘Such a pretty Rose,’ he murmurs, his fingers winding a little too tightly in my icy-blonde hair, making my scalp prickle. ‘So beautiful,’ he whispers.

If he keeps saying things like that, I might have to forgive him for all the tangles he’s making.

It’s early, even for the kitchen staff, but one person is already working downstairs, though she stops the moment she sees us.

‘Oh, Ky,’ Leilah gasps. ‘It’s all right, my boy. It’s all right.’

Without so much as a glance at me, she pulls him into her arms. His weight sags into her and his shoulders shudder as he allows his tears to tumble free.

For all his power, all his posturing, the sound that escapes him is nothing more than a broken sob.

He isn’t untouchable, isn’t carved from stone. He’s just a man, fragile and aching, stumbling through grief like the rest of us.

Feeling like I’m intruding, I silently slip away, scrubbing away tears that I didn’t even realise were falling.

From the hanging heads at breakfast, I think it’s fair to assume that Kyor isn’t the only one nursing a serious hangover, though whether the other Rettlings were drinking to celebrate their survival or to forget the traumas they’ve had to endure so far is anyone’s guess.

Later that day, the battle yard is close to empty as Llinos and I spar together. As great a job as the healers have done on her injury, she struggles to even block using that arm, and for the first time ever I have to hold back to give her a chance. Some of it might come from me getting stronger, of course, but it’s definitely not that alone.

‘Three more trials,’ Llinos says, swinging her sword at me.

‘Technically two and then the Ofur,’ I reply.

‘I’m trying to think of it as just another trial. I mean, I can’t imagine it’s going to be worse than the others.’

‘Can’t imagine or don’t want to?’ I sass.

‘Oh, definitely don’t want to.’ She grins at me.

She swings at me again and this time gets a decent strike across my ribs. I’ve been distracted more than I’d like during our fight as my eyes keep falling on the tallies etched into the wall. I’m too far away to take them in clearly, but it doesn’t change the fact that I can’t forget they’re there. That I can’t seem to tear my mind away from the prince, no matter how hard I try.

‘How long before the next trial, do you think?’ I restart the conversation in the hope that it’ll stop me thinking about Kyor. ‘Surely they’ll want to give us all time to heal fully before they hit us with the next one.’

‘Who knows? I’m hoping for as long as possible though, because the healers said they’ve done as much as they can for my arm and now it just needs time. And if I have to fight like this …’ She presses her lips together, unable to finish. Not that she needs to.

‘There might not even be any fighting in the next one.’ I’m clutching at straws, trying to find something to comfort her. ‘We’re also meant to use our heads for the trials, right? Maybe it’ll be something logical. You’re great at strategic thinking.’

‘Maybe,’ she replies, though she doesn’t look convinced. If anything, her nervousness seems to grow. ‘There’s something else I wanted to talk to you about. I feel really, really shit about it, and it might not even happen, but I think we need to be prepared for it. But I don’t want you to be pissed, because it’s not an insult, it’s just …’

I stop swinging and look at her.

‘You want to spit it out?’

She takes a deep breath in. ‘There’s almost always a trial near the end when they make us act in pairs. And we decided before we came in that I would be with Loch and Benny would work with Jai, but now … well …’

Once again, there’s no need for her to finish the sentence. She’ll work with Benny. Of course she will.

‘It’s fine. Really,’ I tell her. And it is, but I’d be lying if I didn’t admit to myself that there’s the tiniest sting of disappointment.

‘I just feel crap,’ she says. ‘And I want to be clear that it’s not because you don’t have powers or anything. It’s really not that.’