Page 39 of Claimed By Midnight

"I've seen newborn lunoxes with better coordination," Raven quips, but her smile holds no malice. "What's eating at you?"

I attempt the defensive stance she taught me last week, but my movements lack their usual precision. "Nothing. I'm fine."

"And I'm the queen of New Solas." Raven exchanges a look with Koros. His mismatched eyes - one black as void, one molten gold - soften with concern.

"You're broadcasting misery like a beacon," Koros rumbles, his deep voice gentler than his intimidating appearance would suggest. He sets aside his practice blade and drops onto a nearbybench, the wood groaning under his weight. "Maybe we should take a break."

Raven sits down on the grass next to him, grinning up at Koros. "Let me tell you what he did at the market the other day." She launches into a tale that I barely listen to, standing a distance away from them as they both grin and talk.

Usually, their banter would have me giggling, but today it just reminds me how out of place I am in their world. These powerful, immortal beings, spending their time with... what did Uriel call me? Just some human worker.

Sighing, Raven gets to her feet and has me run the defensive stances again.

"Here." Raven steps closer, adjusting my grip on the sword. "You're thinking too much. Let your body remember the movements."

But all I can think about is how her wings - soft dove gray in the afternoon light - mark her as belonging to this world in a way I never will.

Deciding to demonstrate the move instead, Raven lunges forward with her practice sword, but Koros dramatically throws himself backwards, his massive frame hitting the dirt with enough force to shake the ground. His wings flare out, stirring up clouds of dust as he clutches his chest.

"Oh, the agony!" He rolls onto his side, his dark red hair now streaked with dirt. "Defeated by such a tiny opponent!"

His mismatched eyes catch mine, and for a moment, a flicker of warmth cuts through my melancholy. But then doubt creeps in - is this how they really see me? Some amusing little human to be coddled and entertained?

"Get up, you great lump," Raven prods him with her boot, her violet eyes dancing with mischief. "You're scaring the flowers."

"The flowers appreciate my theatrical talents." Koros remains sprawled in the dirt, his nearly-black wings spread like a fallen angel's.

My grip tightens on the practice sword. Once, their playful banter would have lifted my spirits. Now each joke feels like it might have a hidden barb, a reminder of what I am - and what I'm not.

Raven's smile fades as she studies my face. Her dove-gray wings shift restlessly, a tell I've learned means she's worried. She exchanges a glance with Koros, who finally pushes himself up, leaving a Koros-shaped impression in the dirt.

"Athena," he rumbles, brushing off his clothes. "Whatever's weighing on you-"

"I should go." The words come out sharper than intended. "I have... duties to attend to. Worker things."

Koros winces at my tone, his scarred face creasing with concern. Even that hurts - their pity feels like another reminder of my place here.

"Athena-" Raven starts, but I'm already backing away, my practice sword forgotten in the dirt.

Their worried looks follow me across the training yard, but I can't bear their kindness right now. Not when every interaction feels tainted by doubt, every friendship questioned through the lens of Uriel's dismissive words.

22

URIEL

Inotice the shift in Athena immediately. My little demon's fire has dimmed to embers, leaving behind a shell that drifts through my halls like morning mist. Her honey-blonde curls hang limp around her face, those striking golden-green eyes downcast as she traces the same path between her room and the kitchen day after day.

It feels sudden, and I can't place what must have happened. But she is so different now in a way that hits me hard. Like it is my fault.

The silence unnerves me more than her previous attempts at escape ever did. No more testing the boundary. No more clever verbal sparring over breakfast. No more threats to poison my morning tea - threats that had made me laugh despite myself.

I catch glimpses of her through doorways and around corners. Her soft figure moves without purpose now, shoulders curved inward as if bearing an invisible weight. The sight stirs something uncomfortable in my chest. This isn't the fierce little human who'd fought me, who snarled in my face like I wasn't a fearsome xaphan warrior a week ago.

My wings twitch with restless energy as I watch her from my study. She walks through the workshop, where she has been less and less over the last few days, a book clutched to her chest like a shield. The sunlight streaming through the windows catches her hair, turning it to spun gold for a brief moment. But there's no light in her eyes anymore.

"Going somewhere interesting?" I call out, keeping my tone light.

She pauses, not turning to face me. "Just the library."

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