LUCY
They leave without taking a torch. I watch the light from the sconces fade against their backs as they climb, swallowed into the dark of the stairwell within a few steps—their eyesight far sharper than mine will ever need to be. For now.
The heavy door thuds shut above, and then it's just the two of us.
"So, girlfriend." Amara plants her hands on her waist, surveying the wreckage of books scattered across the floor like she's only just noticing the scale of it. "Just us."
"Yeah!" I throw my hands up in mock enthusiasm, and she laughs, crossing the space to sling an arm over my shoulders.
"Don't worry, Lu. Everything will be fine. The goddess is on our side."
My face scrunches on reflex, and she laughs harder.
"What? Isn't the moon goddess watching over you and your people?"
"Honestly, there was a time I hated her. Denounced her, even. She plays cruel games."
"Don't all deities?"
