---
Their lips met each other slowly, uncertain, then surer. Heat surge—not the blaze of battle or campfire but a steady ember that promised to burn long after the duel was done.
When they parted, Fenna placed her forehead against his. "Five days," she whispered. "We win and we leave him behind forever."
"A whole future," Zephyr agreed. "No chains, no brands. Just us and whichever sky Star decides to claim."
Later they poured over a charcoal map pinned to a crate. Zephyr tapped three circled clearings.
"Tomorrow: dawn drills here—open canopy for flight grapples. Mid-day: basalt flats for blade or spear footwork. Dusk: sulfur pools for heat endurance training."
Fenna traced a fourth mark. "Add bow-shed practice. Aurora needs to learn tandem bursts." She scratched notes: Flash-flight → Fenna spin shot → Aurora blind.
Aurora peeped approval from the rafter beam. Star flicked his tail in what Zephyr assumed was commitment.
