The week after the ritual of reflection had passed in the blink of an eye for Diya. Her treatment by the coven had completely flipped and now she was being showered with gifts and kind words. Kromac hadn’t been around much, he occasionally surfaced from his shadowy tunnels to sulk about, but he still hadn’t spoken a word to her.

  Birdsong trilled alongside the gentle sounds of the breeze rustling leaves and grass. As odd as the past week had been, Diya felt like her heart and soul had been lit alight by the hope and excitement heaped on her by the coven.

  And having Tamsin by her side certainly helped.

  As the sunlight warmed the sleepy ruins, Tamsin guided her through a part of New Avignon she had never seen. Though to be fair, she had only seen a relatively small portion of the city.

  Diya felt somewhat naked without Shikra accompanying them, but Tamsin had assured her that since the Sunroot Idol had been returned, the coven’s wards were once again functional, and they could travel safely. Still, she missed her feathered friend.

  Sometime around mid-morning they arrived, Tamsin held her arms out, smiling and twirled. “What do you think? Pretty incredible view, eh?”

  The pair stood at the center of a massive bridge spanning a wide river that divided the city. Wrought of ornate swirling iron, the bridge was stunning but somehow felt dwarfed by the views of New Avignon and its undulating reflections in the river.

  “It’s brilliant.” Diya took a deep breath of fresh air and hugged her friend tightly. “Thank you for sharing this with me.”

  Tamsin swung her pack from her back and began fishing items out. “Don’t thank me just yet! Wait and see what I have prepared for us.”

  Stretching her arms high over her head, Diya watched with curiosity as her friend unfolded a large picnic blanket and laid it down near the edge of the bridge looking out over the water. Next, she pulled out a container of fresh fruit, a loaf of rye bread, followed by a tea kettle. “Sit. After all the madness of the past weeks, we deserve a relaxing respite. Your first trial will begin next week, and I want to get you ready.”

  Diya shot her a look. “Like you got me ready for the pool of reflections?”

  “Hey, I did the best I could.” Tamsin assured. “These rituals and trials are never the same twice. Each is shaped by the one being tested.”

  “I know, I’m only giving you a hard time. For having my most shameful memory shared with the world, it could have gone much worse.”

  “Oh, you mean like, if it didn’t conclude with a revelation that you are the chosen one, written about by my people for generations?”

  Pausing just long enough to bite into a pear, Diya responded with her mouth full. “That definitely took a bit of the edge off.”

  The two shared a laugh as Tamsin made a small fire, ground up the tea leaves, and put the tea on.

  Diya looked reflectively out at the dancing river current, eyes going misty. “Still, it was awful reliving it. I’ve done my best to erase it. To bury it deep inside myself. But I still can’t shake the nightmares.”

  “You were only a kid.” Tamsin said brow furrowing. “Those bastards took advantage of you. No child should ever have to be put in a situation like that.”

  Diya’s hand found Tamsin’s, and she squeezed it tightly, as if drawing strength from her friend’s steady presence. The sun had climbed higher now, warming the worn iron beneath them and casting ripples of silver across the river. For a moment, it almost felt normal, like the world had paused its cruelty and allowed them to exist in a beautiful pocket of calm.

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  Tamsin’s eyes softened. “You can’t just bury it forever, Diya. Memories don’t disappear. But we can learn to carry them without letting them break us.” She poured steaming tea into two mugs and handed one across. The scent of the herbs—peppermint, lavender, and dried mulberries—was deeply soothing. Grounding.

  Diya blew gently across the surface of her tea. “Sometimes it feels like no matter what I do, the nightmares will find me. His face… my father… the hanging rope…it’s all there, waiting.” Her voice cracked. She didn’t want to cry, but the warmth of Tamsin’s hand and the quiet peace of the bridge made it almost impossible to hold back.

  “You survived it all, didn’t you?” Tamsin said softly. “Your childhood, the shame, the revelation. And you’ll survive what’s coming next, too. Because you’re not alone. Not anymore.”

  Diya let her forehead rest against Tamsin’s shoulder. The tremor in her chest slowly eased, replaced with a tentative calm. “I… I don’t know if I’ll ever stop feeling ashamed. But… having you here, it makes it easier.”

  “And that’s all any of us can ask for,” Tamsin replied, brushing hair from Diya’s damp temple. She gave a small smile, teasing, but tender. “Besides, next week’s trial? It’s going to test more than just your courage. You’ll need focus, observation, and the ability to stay steady when everything around you tries to convince you to run screaming. And I intend to help get you there. I’ve been searching my whole life for you.”

  Diya laughed quietly, the sound fragile but genuine. “You make it sound almost fun.”

  “Almost,” Tamsin admitted, topping off their tea. “But before we even think about stepping foot in the graveyard, you need to practice grounding yourself. The first trial will demand that you notice everything: the sounds, the smells, the weight of what’s real and what’s not. You’ll need to sense the dead, yes, but more importantly, sense yourself in the midst of them.”

  Diya nodded, letting the warmth of the tea seep into her fingers. “And how do I do that?”

  Tamsin reached into her pack and pulled out a small, smooth jade stone. “Simple. Hold this. Focus on it. Let your mind follow the texture, the weight. Let yourself be present in this moment, completely aware of what you can feel and hear and see. If you can master focus here, you’ll have a foothold in the trial. Even when the dead are clawing at you, you won’t lose yourself.”

  Diya accepted the stone, curling her fingers around its smooth surface. She felt the solidity of it, a grounding presence that had been absent for so long. For the first time in days, the rapid hammering of her heart slowed to a steadier rhythm.

  They ate the rest of their simple meal in intimate silence, letting the river’s gentle roar, the sound of fish jumping, and the occasional birdcall fill the spaces between them. Tamsin kept the conversation light, teasing Diya about her tendency to overthink, pointing out curiosities in the city below, asking questions about Ghanesha, and laughing at small absurdities in the world. And gradually, Diya felt some of the tension ease, her mind unclenching from the horrors she had endured.

  Finally, Tamsin leaned back, looking out over the water. “Tomorrow, we practice the basics. Observation, grounding, awareness. Then the next day, we’ll go a little further, closer to the edge of what you’re comfortable with. By the time the graveyard comes, you’ll be as ready as you can be. Nothing can truly prepare you, but we’ll give you every advantage.”

  Diya’s lips curved into a small, tired smile. “I don’t know if I can ever be fully ready. But… I want to try. With you.”

  “And I’ll be right here,” Tamsin said, echoing her earlier promise. “No tricks, no shadows. Just… practice. You, me, and a bridge over a river that’s never cared about anyone’s plans.”

  They sat together a while longer, sipping tea, letting the sun warm them, letting the world seem, if only for a few hours, harmless. Diya finally allowed herself to lean fully into Tamsin, resting her head on her shoulder. The nightmares might not disappear, the shadows of what she had endured still lingered, but for now, they were muted.

  The gentle clink of the tea kettle, the whisper of the wind over the river, the distant sounds of animals in the city, these were the sounds she let herself notice. She could hear them, she could feel them. And for the first time since she was imprisoned in Ghanesha, she felt the fragile pulse of hope beneath her ribs.

  It wouldn’t last forever, she knew. More trials awaited. A confrontation with Arjun and Zoralia beyond that. But in this moment, in the warmth of a friend’s presence, Diya allowed herself to rest.

  And when the first trial came, she would carry this peace with her, a small shield against the darkness.