Aftermath

Hadwyn watched the pair enter the keep. “It’s been a week. Can we pretend it’s just beginning?” Fianna flopped onto her seat and slid down until she barely remained on the thing.

Rye strode past, patting the top of her head as he went. She looked up at him and glowered. A withering glare which caused the stone behind him to groan. Rye, however, shrugged off her attack with angled magic.

At least if her glower contained that much power, Hadwyn didn’t need to be overly concerned with Fianna’s health. “Sometimes you have to win by cheating,” Rye said as he slipped into a seat opposite Fianna.

Hadwyn did need to worry about his sense as always. Fianna bolted upright her hand slapping the table with an echoing thunder. No doubt she’d used power in that strike and the table would need buffing again.

Hadwyn stepped forward and placed her hands on the table. Leaning forward she blocked Fianna’s view of Rye and glowered first at him before turning a similar if milder look on Fianna.

“Enough,” she said. “You both acquitted yourselves well in the trials and I will not have the competition carried into these halls.”

The pair sniffed and the door banged open behind them. Two more spilled into the chamber with magic active about them.

“Enough!” Hadwyn roared. The pair tumbled to a stop at her feet and grinned up at her. Hadwyn huffed wondering what it would take for her to win with this lot.