Lin arrived shortly after lunch. Briar came to fetch me again, leading me downstairs to the foyer where Valerien and his spy friend were talking. Their conversation died out before I’d even approached the stairs, and I found myself under heavy, silent scrutiny when I finally joined them.

The second most notable thing was that I couldn’t tell whether I was looking at a man or a woman. Though their anatomy was more similar to Valerien’s than mine, their face was soft-featured and delicate, with enchanting black eyes, a narrow chin, and full lips.

Lin was a head shorter than Valerien, their skin a rich coppery brown and their black, silky-straight hair in a ponytail. Lose-fitting trousers hung low from their narrow hips and some colorful lengths of fabric draped over their toned torso to pass for a shirt. Two ornate daggers hung from a belt on their left side. 

“Hello there,” said the newcomer in a smooth, slightly nasal voice. “You must be Sidra.” 

“And you must be Lin?” 

“Linden. Only my friends call me Lin.” They glanced at Valerien, eyes twinkling with mischief.

“It’s good to meet you, Linden,” I replied. Since they had yet to be unpleasant, I was surprised at how dishonest it came out.

“She’s far more polite than you made her sound.” 

Linden stepped closer, arms crossed over their chest. They had beautiful floral tattoos across their hands — henna, I realized. Grandmother would paint similar designs on her skin and mine, before she ran out of the powder.

“She is only polite because she still fears you,” Valerien said, glaring at me over Linden’s shoulder. 

I scoffed, “I don’t fear things when I have no reason to.” 

Linden arched a dark brow and dropped their gaze to the rest of me, calculating rather than lecherous, sizing me up. Considering we’d be fighting each other, I decided to reply in kind, glancing over their taut yet slender figure. They were slighter than Valerien, their muscle built neither by nor for manual labor or excessive fighting. I think we’d be evenly matched in terms of brute force. Skill, on the other hand …

“So what reason do you have to fear me?” Linden said as a slow smile grew on their lips.

I realized what my reply must’ve sounded like and held up my hands defensively. “It has nothing to do with fear. Valerien hasn’t been the image of politeness himself, and I only responded in kind.” 

“I don’t doubt it.” The tension between us deflated and Linden turned to look at Valerien, “He’s a piece of work, isn’t he?” 

I’d expected Valerien to get lippy, but he just gave them a mildly annoyed glare without saying a word. Linden, for their part, grinned widely like they’d poked fun at an old friend. It was odd to see something so normal happen between two magical and not entirely moral beings.

Valerien’s face remained expressionless, “Go on, then. You both have things to do that do not include bothering me.” 

Linden chortled. “Spoilsport.”

Despite this, they cocked their head toward the door and I followed them outside. Their steps were much easier to keep up with than Valerien’s, and the fresh air and perpetually good weather around Sorrow’s Nest made me feel carefully optimistic.

“Where are we going?”

“There’s a clearing not far from here. Since your gracious host hasn’t provided us with any proper training space, I figured it would do.” 

“What about the courtyard?” I wondered, gesturing toward the statues as we passed them. 

“Do you want the entire household and Valerien himself to see you flail uselessly as you try to land a hit on me?” 

I pursed my lips. They were right, but they didn’t have to say it like that. 

We entered the frozen forest and I was about to ask if Linden was cold, wearing nothing but scraps of silk for a shirt, but stopped myself when I noticed their feet were bare and left dark footprints in the ground where the snow melted beneath their skin. 

I sneakily got closer and found they were indeed emanating an unusual amount of heat. It was alarming; my first instinct was to take a step back lest I got burned.

I’d barely readjusted the distance between us when they shot me a sly grin over their shoulder. 

“How bold. We’ve barely met and you’re already eager to get up close and personal?” 

I frowned, “I saw your feet melting the snow and was just curious whether you—” 

“Whether I was hot?” 

The frown turned into a full grimace. “Sure.” 

“And?” 

Ugh. I hadn’t intended to make a pass at them, but asking why their feet were melting snow or why they weren’t wearing proper clothing hadn’t struck me as appropriate either. 

I ignored the obvious bait and looked away.

“Here.” 

We arrived at a sizable clearing in the woods. It was at a slight incline and dotted with ancient conifers. Not exactly ideal for combat practice, but Linden didn’t seem to mind. They crouched down with one palm hovering above the snow, painted fingers spread out, and waved their other hand for me to back up. 

“Stand aside for a bit. Wouldn’t want to set you aflame first day of training, would we?” 

I was about to ask them about the second day of training when a hissing sound came from somewhere beneath them. Steam rose up from the earth, obscuring them and the clearing from my view as it spread into the cold air. I retreated another two steps as flames seared the snow into thick mist, the heat squeezing my lungs, followed by the scent of burning charred wood and dirt. 

For a moment, the air was uncomfortably hot and humid. Then the flames disappeared as if snuffed out by an invisible wind, leaving behind an even, large patch of scorched, hardened earth in the shape of a circle. 

Linden stood up and turned around to look at me. “Ready?” 

“No?” 

We stared at each other in yet another awkward silence before they said, “You’re an odd one, you know that?” 

“So I’ve been told. What exactly will you be teaching me?” 

“Hand-to-hand combat. That’s what you’re planning with Severin, yes?” 

I bit my lip. This whole plan of Valerien’s had made some sense until this point, but now I was wondering if telling outsiders about it had been the best idea. 

I didn’t trust Valerien. How was I supposed to trust someone I knew even less? Who was to say Linden wouldn’t use this information against me? They were a spy, after all.

“Don’t worry, I’ll go easy on you for now,” Linden said in a tone that was more patronizing than reassuring. 

“I doubt Severin would,” I replied bitterly.

“Severin would kill you. I’m supposed to teach you how to avoid that particular outcome.” Seeing my unconvinced expression, they continued, “I’ve already promised Valerien to help you and I intend to keep that promise. You’re not getting out of this.”

It wasn’t that I wanted out of it. This all simply felt so far removed from an actual solution and more like guesswork, something that would maybe help me but could just as well be a waste of precious time. I swallowed my doubt, figuring it was too late to turn back now, regardless. 

Reminding myself how powerless I was wasn’t going to make me stronger.