He let the water fall back into the ring It slid away fast and settled smooth like nothing had happened The watching trainees whispered again but softer now Most of them were not mocking anymore Most of them looked nervous One of them looked angry Anger he understood That one would try to test him later He filed that face in his mind

Mara cracked her neck and clapped her hands loud to get attention Lesson three Balance She called and the ring shut up again Balance means you hold back your storm so that it is still there when you need it You do not waste it all on fear drills You do not burn it fast and show off to children You do not snap and flood the yard because your feelings got poked

She looked straight at Evan when she said feelings He knew that one was for him

Mara continued in a louder voice so everyone heard We do not lose control We do not spill into main flow without command We do not turn our own into targets If any of you step out of line I will break both your knees and feed you to Lira and make her fix you

A few of the trainees laughed at that Lira jokes were clearly universal Mara dropped her voice again and leaned in close enough that only he could hear You listen Brooks This part is important You are about to be pulled into court She will call for you Corren will act like it is normal He will tell you to be respectful You will want to stand tall You will want to show her you are calm You will want to be good

He nodded Yeah That sounds smart Mara shook her head No That sounds dead Listen to me The queen does not respect good The queen respects useful and uncontrollable She respects people she cannot bend She collects talent like weapons and she keeps them close She will try to put silk on your wrists and call it honor Like Lira told you She will try to own you You cannot let her You give her respect yes But you also give her edge You show her you are sharp You show her you are not easy to carry You show her that if she cages you this whole academy will feel it in their bones

He stared at her You are telling me to threaten the queen on my first meeting Mara snorted No I am telling you to show her you are a flood not a cup There is a difference A cup sits where it is put A flood moves where it wants The queen will not try to hold a flood in a cage She will try to point it

That did not sound better But it at least sounded less like dying in a pit of still water He rubbed his jaw and winced It still hurt from her first hit He said She going to test me the way Corren did Mara shook her head No Corren tests your truth The queen tests your loyalty If she thinks you will stand between her and flameborn fire she will smile If she thinks you will stand between her and her own council she will smile more If she thinks you will stand between her and herself you go under stone and never come out

So no hero speeches he said Got it Mara grinned Her teeth flashed sharp Exactly No firehouse speeches about brotherhood and duty Save those for me

He almost laughed Then he went quiet The word brotherhood hit him low and deep The faces of Ross and Carter flickered in his mind He still heard Carter yelling at him in the bay You owe me a beer after this Brooks and Ross saying after shift kid first round is on you He felt his throat close for a second He forced it open He would not choke now Not in a ring surrounded by strangers

Mara saw it The shift in his face The way his jaw tightened She waited She did not push She did not say Are you okay She went still and let him pull himself back It was something he respected If someone had grabbed his shoulder and said You good back at the station right after a fatal call he would have snapped He did not need pity He needed space to get his head steady That was what she gave him now

After a moment he nodded I am here Mara said Good Stay here Because here is about to get harder

He blinked Why

Before she could answer shadows moved at the far edge of the ring The crowd of trainees fell silent like someone had cut sound with a hand Two figures approached through the arch at the back of the training hall One was Corren calm composed coat back on face unreadable The other was not academy at all

The woman beside Corren wore a long robe the color of deep ocean at night The fabric shimmered like slow tide under moon Her hair was dark and braided with thin silver threads that caught the light when she moved She walked like the ground wanted to make space for her and she let it The air itself seemed to settle around her like it owed her something The water under Evan’s boots pulled tight the second she entered like it knew her and bowed

Every trainee dropped to one knee at once Heads down Mara dropped to one knee too even though he could tell she hated doing it Corren bowed his head but did not kneel Only Evan was still standing

The woman’s eyes went straight to him and stayed there Calm Unblinking Sharp

Mara hissed low without lifting her head Down Brooks Now Kneel

Evan did not move

It was not pride It was not ego It was not disrespect He just remembered what Lira said what Mara said If he made himself small now he would never get out of the cage later He did not want to start his first meeting with this queen on his knees like a dog waiting for command He wanted to meet her standing not challenging just standing

He held his ground chest steady shoulders loose hands open not fists Calm in the fire Calm in the flood

The woman stopped in front of him and looked him up and down Not slow Not lazy Fast precise like an officer reading a scene This was not a queen in a story who floats in silk and needs people to flatter her This was someone who has stood in danger before and is not scared of stepping in it again

Her voice when she spoke was smooth but not soft So you are the flameborn that does not burn She said

Evan met her eyes and said My name is Brooks Your Grace

The corner of her mouth moved in something almost like a smile Queen Nerissa she said You will use that title when others listen Inside my circle you will call me Nerissa I prefer truth to ceremony when I can get it

He nodded Yes Queen Nerissa No Yes Nerissa She corrected calmly Her eyes flicked past him to Mara and then back to him Mara here is already far too proud I do not need you giving her more reason to strut Mara muttered something under her breath that Evan could not catch Corren kept his face smoke blank

Nerissa looked back at him and said I heard you turned Corren’s pool I heard you crossed the gate without killing anyone I heard you bent a river that should not bend I heard you chose mercy in combat I heard you stood through guilt instead of drowning in it I heard you spoke to still water and walked away whole She tilted her head And I heard you said no when asked to watch us burn

He swallowed His throat felt dry Yes Nerissa That is mostly true

Mostly She echoed I will hear all of it later in detail for now I will accept mostly She took one slow step closer They were almost the same height Her eyes were very clear He saw no fear there He saw calculation He saw focus He saw the same tight core he had seen in seasoned captains The ones who said get out now and you did not argue because you trusted they knew something you did not

Tell me Brooks she said Why are you here