[Meredith]
The next morning, I woke up with another idea already fully formed in my head.
It was the kind that didn't arrive gently—it pressed insistently against my thoughts, sharp and clear, like it had been waiting for me to open my eyes.
For a moment, I stayed still beneath the covers, staring at the ceiling, letting the idea settle into something solid enough to hold onto.
I smile naturally turned up on my lips. I wanted to tell Draven immediately, but some things had to wait.
Training came first.
We didn't speak much on the way to the private training grounds. The early morning air was cool, fresh enough to sting my lungs in a way I had come to enjoy. The farther we walked from the main house, the quieter everything became, until even the distant sounds of servants and guards faded into nothing.
The training area stood just as Draven had described before—hidden, deliberate, built with intention. Without ceremony, we shifted.
