Half a dozen [Guards] march out of the Menders main building shortly after I sent in the mana draughts for Melina. They take up stations outside, three on either side of the door. From the tense way they grip their weapons and the constant angry glances they cast my way, it’s obvious that they find their current posting terrifying.

I don’t get what the big deal is. All I wanted is for the Menders to help Lionel. Why are the [Guards] acting like I threatened to flay the skin off their bodies and dance in a circle cackling with laughter, or roast and eat their children while they watch? Unfair. I didn’t do anything to warrant this kind of antagonistic response. It’s insulting, really.

Avelina emerges from the doorway, right between the [Guards]. She jerks back as she makes eye contact with me. Instead of coming over, she speaks to the [Guards], too quietly for me to hear.

Through my Domain I sense that she’s radiating calm. I still can’t make out the words, but it’s clear that she is offering what feels like reassurance. As though she’s taking their side.

Against me.

My fingers curl into a tight fist at my side. Fury blazes in my chest. How dare she! After all we’ve been through, she’s going to turn against me? Heat gathers around me, blistering and raw, until the very air ignites.

She pushes back with her own fire magic, sending me a look that’s so heartbroken that it cuts through my haze of indignation and fear.

I drop my Domain, forcing myself to take long, deep breaths as I regain control. As I struggle to calm down, Avelina approaches with slow, measured steps. Her shadow stretches long and blue in the deepening gloom of twilight.

She stops a few paces in front of me. Her lips are pressed together in a tight line. She takes one look at my face and sucks in a sharp breath. “When did you last sleep, Nuri?”

“Last night. Same as you.”

“Looks more like it’s been a week.”

“What’s your point?” I grumble.

She shuffles in place, then steps closer to me and reaches out a tentative hand. She grips my shoulder, and I tense up at her touch before reminding myself that she’s one of my oldest and closest friends. I don’t have to treat her like an enemy.

“Nuri, you’ve been through a lifetime of stress today. Your core restoration, the fight against that hideous woman, helping Mel so she could keep using her Skill, whatever deal you hammered out at the Orpheus—”

I scoff, cutting her off and brushing her hand away. “C’mon, Ava. You make it sound way worse than it is.”

“I don’t even understand how you're still on your feet. Something dark is burning you up inside,” Avelina says softly. Her eyes shine with terrible pity.

“Don’t be dramatic,” I snap.

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Avelina reaches out and takes my hand, ignoring my protests. She turns and walks toward a bench, tugging on my hand and pulling me along with her. For a split second I resist before allowing her to guide me. She sits down and pats the seat next to hear, and after another awkward moment of hesitation, I join her on the bench.

Distantly, I sense the horror of the [Guards] assigned to watch us. They seem poised to intervene—resigned to their fate.

She lets go of me and folds her hands in her lap. “Listen to yourself, Nuri. Is this how you normally talk to your friends?”

“Look, it’s been a trying day,” I start to say, suddenly unable to meet her eye. I know she’s right. “I’m worried about Lio.”

“We all are. But we’re not threatening death and violence at every turn.” Her voice grows soft and wistful. “You don’t want to go down that path. Trust me, Nuri. I’ve been there. It’s a terribly lonely place.”

My jaw clenches. I tremble with pent-up emotions. They’re all jumbled up and confusing, a harsh cacophony of contradictory voices. I want to yell that she’s got it all wrong, that I’m doing my best to take care of things the only way I know how, but the growing urge to lash out just makes her point. A heavy knot of guilt ties itself in my stomach, making me feel sick suddenly. I bite my tongue and keep silent, bleeding anger and feeling strangely hollow in return.

“You’re scaring people. See those [Guards] behind us? They’re convinced that you’re going to burn down the entire place. That’s my role, not yours! Or, it was. I don’t want to be like that anymore. You probably don’t want to be that way, either.”

“Demanding that they take care of Lionel is enough to scare them? Isn’t that their job?” I demand.

“Maybe. But do you really want to pick up the reputation of a short temper and dangerous explosions now that I’ve finally learned how to put it down?” Avelina asks, turning to look up at me again. Her eyes are luminous with unshed tears, glimmering in the lamp light.

More than anything, that cuts me to the core. After all I’ve put Avelina through, after asking her to use her beloved fire magic to kill and then watching as it wrecked her, why would I set myself on the warpath? Have I learned nothing over the last few years?

“You’re . . . right . . . that’s not who I want to be,” I whisper, my words halting as I search for answers. I slump against the backrest of the bench, abruptly feeling utterly exhausted. Maybe I do need sleep.

“Trust me when I say that a life filled with regrets is a burden that will crush you. Lay it down, Nuri. You’ve worked so hard to take care of us. Let us take care of you.”

“I can’t afford to rest yet,” I protest weakly. I don’t resist when she prods me to stand up, however.

“Go to the inn. Sleep. That’s an order, Boss. Come back as the kind and patient Nuri we all know and love. I don’t want to hear the Menders talk about banning you from the entire city anymore,” Avelina says.

“That’s extreme,” I complain.

Avelina scowls at me, reminding me of her old self for the first time tonight. “Hmph. Keep up this attitude, and I’ll be first in line to kick you out.”

I crack a reluctant smile at her grumpy friendship, then sober up almost immediately. “I don’t want to go. What if something happens with Lionel?”

Avelina crosses her arms. A little bit of her old fire has come back to the surface, replacing the quiet vulnerability she displayed moments ago. “Go sleep, or I’ll chase you off.”

I throw her a mock salute. “I hear you. Loud and clear. I’ll go get some rest.”

“You better,” she mumbles, glaring at me. “When you return, make sure you apologize to everyone for scaring them half to death. They don’t have anything to do with what [Lady] Saphora did. It’s mean to treat them like that.”

I nod, chagrined, and wave toward the [Guards] while trying to project a sense of contrition. “I will. Promise.”

Just then, I yawn so hard that my eyes tear up and my jaw cracks. “Right. Sleep first. And Ava? Thank you. For everything. You’re the best.”