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Finally. Someone who cares.

“Cosmos,” she says. “Are you sure?”

“Will that be enough to get him addicted to it again?”

“I don’t know. If he’s had it twice in two days, that’s a lot. We just have to hope he’s stronger than it.”

Unseen forces claw at me.

Because I can’t see it.

I can’t see a future where I get to be with Cosmer. A future that doesn’t involve prophecies and people wanting me for my power – and even our demons that we made ourselves chasing us.

Despite the hum of Intelligence, and the static and crackling voices of my own frequency, I feel at peace.

This is better than silence.

I speak to no one all day, other than to accept my boiled eggs at lunch.

At sixteen, Riss finally comes over to my desk.

“Do you want to go to the Training Room? We can pick up where we left off.” She adds, “You look like you could do with punching something.”

I could.

We’ve been at it for an hour. I’m sore, sweating, bruising. She keeps going for me. She’s flipped me so many times. Keeps blocking me when I try to swing at her.

I feel the way Drake must have felt when Cosmer was running circles around him.

Stop dancing, he’d willed Cosmer.

But that’s why I can’t let my magic stabilise with Drake’s.

I don’t win my battles by cheating.

Or by putting my opponents to sleep.

Or by invading their dreams.

Our upbringings may have had similarities. But I’m nothing like him.

Riss jumps on me. My hips are angled, my body is low. It’s the perfect position. In the space of two seconds, I take control – ducking down out of her grip, and stepping fast, my foot locking behind hers.

I flip her.

I flip her.

I stand over her, my arms still out, my body still braced.

On her back, brisk but out of breath, she says, “Great. Let’s go again.”

We only keep training. I know I’ll feel this in the morning. But it’s doing wonders at blocking out all of the thoughts in my head. The agonising worry for Cosmer. My pain.

Now, I feel strong.

I think we could even go for longer. But Riss gets a message on her radio.

Dezeeves’ voice.