Ronan carried two wooden bowls down the narrow path toward the edge of camp where Class B kept its prisoners.

The evening light filtered through the canopy.

Locke and Reddy sat separated by several meters, both bound, and both looking absolutely miserable.

Locke straightened when he noticed Ronan approaching, adopting what he probably thought was a dignified posture despite the rope around his wrists.

Reddy just glared.

Ronan stopped in front of Locke first, crouching to set one bowl within reach.

"Dinner."

"Appreciated." Locke nodded, accepting the food without complaint. "You’ve treated me fairly, Ashbourne. I won’t forget that. You are honorable despite the petty claims of your character."

He gave Locke a curt nod.

Ronan moved toward Reddy next, extending the second bowl.

Reddy’s hand shot out.

He slapped the bowl hard, sending it spinning through the air.

Soup splattered across the dirt, chunks of meat and vegetables scattering everywhere.

"I don’t need your charity," Reddy spat.

Ronan watched the spilled food for a moment, then shrugged.

"That’s all you’re getting. You’ll have to wait until lunch tomorrow now."

Reddy’s face flushed, embarrassment flickering on his face, but he kept his chin raised.

"I don’t care."

"Suit yourself."

Ronan straightened and walked away, leaving Reddy staring at the wasted meal.

Fool.

His thoughts shifted as he moved back toward the main camp, greeting his fellow classmates as he did. They were rebuilding the base, and the progress was surprisingly fast.

It had been a day since the talk with Armani, and that meant a whole day using the acceleration method Armani provided.

Two minor nodes instead of one.

It was risky – Sapphire had warned that the rune balance needed constant monitoring – but the reward was worth it.

At the current pace, they’d complete the statue’s capture by morning.

After that, they could abandon the position entirely and consolidate forces back at the main base.

Ronan had tested Elara earlier.

He asked if they should station more students near the statue now that it was almost finished, which meant people might try for a last ditch effort to capture it.

She’d refused.

"That would leave the main base vulnerable," Elara had said, her tone firm. "If we lose our major node, we’re disqualified completely. The statue’s not worth that risk."

Ronan had nodded, pleased.

She was thinking strategically now. That was good.

Footsteps approached him from behind.

Ronan turned.

Sapphire jogged toward him. "Elara wants you at the statue. Now."

"Oh? What for?"

"She didn’t say. She just said it was an emergency."

He nodded. "Thanks for telling me. I’ll be on my way. And what’s the progress on the other rune I requested?"

Sapphire blushed. "Sorry I haven’t gotten around to working on it. The runic configuration at the statue is quite complex, and it took some time setting up."

"Don’t worry," Ronan reassured. "I was just asking. As long as it’s done by the end of tomorrow, I should be okay."

Sapphire nodded, not questioning what it was for at all. The promise to meet Victoria Ashbourne was blinding her like a lost puppy.

Ronan nodded back, breaking into a jog as he headed towards the statue.

He sighed.

Everything going on, and cardio is the one thing I look forward to the least. How ironic.

Ronan arrived at the boar statue and found Elara standing beside it with her arms crossed.

Her expression was anything but calm.

She pulled him aside before he could speak.

"We got a letter." Elara’s voice was urgent. "From Class S. Grace Light. She wants a formal parley about the hostages."

"When?"

"Tonight. Two hours from now, neutral ground between our territories." Elara’s jaw worked. "She’s asking for me specifically. Small escort only."

The timing couldn’t be worse. Class B was still recovering from Reddy’s attack, supplies were scattered, defenses were weakened, and the statue acceleration was draining Sapphire’s attention.

Now Grace wanted to sit down and discuss hostages.

"Are you going?" Ronan asked carefully.

Elara’s gaze flicked toward the forest, then back. "I don’t know. It feels like a trap, but if I refuse..." She trailed off, frustration bleeding through. "It looks like I’m abandoning Darius and Cole."

Ronan nodded slowly. "That’s exactly what it would look like."

"I know." Elara exhaled sharply. "That’s what I was thinking too. I just wanted to hear you say it."

She’d already decided. She just needed confirmation that the logic held. And she looked for him for that confirmation.

Good.

"Then we go," Ronan said simply.

Elara met his eyes, some of the tension easing from her shoulders from the weight of the decision.

"Yeah. We go."

The meeting site was a small patch of land halfway between Class B and Class S territories, marked by a tall stone pillar that looked older than the Academy itself.

Torches had been planted in a rough circle, for dramatic effect it looked like.

Elara arrived with Ronan, Mira, and three other Class B students.

Grace appeared from the opposite side minutes later.

She walked calmly, her white robes catching the torchlight, hands folded loosely in front of her. Irene was on her left, composed and alert.

Behind them came Darius, still limping slightly but no longer restrained, and Cole, whose expression was brimming with barely controlled anger.

Two additional S-class students served as backup. Their gazes swept the area before settling on Class B.

Grace stopped near the center and smiled gently. "Thank you for coming, Elara. I know trust is difficult right now."

Elara’s voice was flat. "You asked for a parley to discuss our hostages. Here we are."

"Yes." Grace inclined her head. "I wanted to discuss the hostages. Darius and Cole have been treated well, but I believe conversations should happen directly rather than through intermediaries."

Ronan watched her carefully. This was a chance to analyze her.

Her tone was polite, her posture open and relaxed. Nothing like the Grace he read in the novel. Ronan stared blatantly.

"What are your terms?" Elara asked.

Grace tilted her head slightly. "Before we discuss terms, I thought it might be helpful to hear from Darius and Cole themselves. They’ve had time to reflect on recent events."

Ronan’s instincts flared.

Here it comes.

Cole stepped forward before anyone could respond.

"I’ll tell you what happened. Ronan attacked Darius."

The words were shocking. That much was clear by the silence from class B.

Mira’s head turned sharply toward Cole. Several Class B did the same.

Cole’s voice rose, anger seeping through every syllable.

"We went back for the node. That’s what he said. Just the node. But when Darius almost escaped, Ronan hit him with a fireball. He crippled his leg, took the node, and left us both behind."

Elara’s expression didn’t change, but Ronan saw her eyes narrow.

"That’s a lie," Mira said immediately. "I was there. Ronan retrieved the node. That’s what happened. Why would he attack Darius? There’s no point."

"You didn’t see everything," Cole snapped. "You were creating a distraction. I saw it. I saw him blast Darius when he was trying to get free."

Darius stepped forward then, his voice calm and steady. "Cole is telling the truth."

The students went silent.

Ronan was still looking at Grace. So that was her intention with this.

From the outside it looked like a meeting she promised the class B hostages like mentioned in the letter – perhaps promised in exchange for information – but her real purpose was to cause uncertainty in class B?

Interesting enough, Ronan thought. Though I have to say the attempt is a little sloppy. They’re just baseless accusations. Not really difficult to counter, especially with Mira backing me.

So what was her goal? This all seemed a little redundant.

Darius met Elara’s gaze directly as he continued.

"Ronan attacked me. Not to save me. To stop me from becoming an uncontrolled variable."

He wasn’t shouting. He wasn’t emotional. He was simply stating what he believed to be fact.

Class B’s wavered.

One student whispered something to another. Mira looked between Darius and Ronan, confusion written across her face. Elara’s eyes narrowed even more.

Grace remained silent, watching.

Ronan exhaled slowly.

And an expression of disgust followed.

"This is pathetic." His cold voice cut through the whispers.. "You’re really going to stand there and parrot whatever Class S fed you after days in captivity?"

Cole’s face flushed. "I’m not–"

"Yes, you are." Ronan stepped forward, his tone hardening. "Look at the timing. Look at the setting. Grace didn’t bring you here to negotiate. She brought you here to fracture us, that much is obvious to anyone with a functioning brain."

"Cole’s angry. Darius is calm. Both of them sound convincing. And Grace chose this exact moment – right after Class A attacked, right when we’re vulnerable – to make you doubt your own classmates."

Elara’s expression flickered, and her eyes narrowed, at Cole this time. The rest of class B did as well.

As I suspected, this was too easy. What is Grace’s – if I can even call her that – goal?

Grace’s faint smile remained, and she was staring directly at Ronan. Her expression was calculating.

"I didn’t lie about what happened," Cole said tightly. "I saw it."

"Maybe you did," Elara replied coolly, defending Ronan. "Or maybe you saw what class S wanted you to see after being held prisoner. Either way, this accusation is completely baseless."

Darius looked shocked, not by the actual words being said, but by the reactions of class B.

They were taking Ronan’s side. No, they were taking Elara’s side.

"Well then," Grace said. "That is all we wanted to discuss. Thank you for respecting the peaceful parley."

As Grace said that, she looked back at Ronan, her expression calculating, before she turned and walked away.

Ronan narrowed his eyes.

While the negotiation hadn’t done much for her, there was one thing that was clear to him now.

That was not Grace Light.