She didn't sleep.
Couldn't.
The fire Ryker built still burned behind her eyes, and Lucas's silence weighed on her like chains she'd forged herself.
Elise sat beside her, wordless at first.
Then, finally, she said, "You look like someone waiting to be punished."
Clara blinked. "Aren't we all?"
Elise shook her head. "You think too much. Feels like you're always halfway between running and falling."
Clara didn't smile. "That's because both lead to the same place."
Elise studied her. "You never say his name."
"Whose?"
Elise raised a brow. "Either of them."
Clara looked down at her hands. "Names are dangerous. They summon too much."
"Especially when you've said them while screaming," Elise muttered.
Clara looked at her sharply.
Elise smirked. "I'm not deaf. Or blind. The whole camp felt it. Heard it. And now they're watching to see who you'll burn for."
"I'm not a goddess," Clara said. "And I'm not here to be worshipped or destroyed."
