AYLA'S POV
The Trial chamber spat us out into the cavern like chewed bones.
The ground was still scorched beneath my boots, black glass glinting where Kael's fire had cracked it. The air tasted of smoke and blood, sharp in my lungs, but I wasn't sure if it came from the Trial or from me.
I swayed, catching myself against the wall, hiding the tremor in my hand before Kael could see. His fire burned steady around him, but mine… mine was different now.
When I let a breath slip, a ribbon of golden flame leaked from between my lips, and in it ran a streak of black. Thin as a thread, but there. Crawling. Alive.
I bit down hard, forcing it back.
Not now. Not here.
Cassia was the first to reach us, her braid whipping over her shoulder as she pushed past the healers. Her eyes darted from Kael to me. "You're alive." Relief softened her voice, but then her gaze sharpened on me, narrowing like she was trying to peer straight through my skin. "But something's wrong."
