Maze

From the palace windows, Isla spots a towering hedge maze. Grim explains it is older than the castle and voids all abilities, then leads her inside. He recalls hiding there as a child and his father trying to burn the maze, which later regrew. At the center, they find Cronan’s coffin, forged entirely of shademade, explaining the maze’s power-dampening field.

They retrace their frozen footprints to exit. Back in the library, a roaring fire melts the chill. Drawn to each other, Isla and Grim give in to urgent desire, scattering books and cracking furniture as their intimacy intensifies their bond.

Afterward, Isla resolves to search the shelves for anything that could help find and use the portal. Using Aurora’s feather, she learns to seek a book cursed closed. One volume remains fixed on a shelf while all others have fallen. When Isla touches it, the book releases for her; dried blood stains mark failed attempts by others.

The book flies open but does not attack. Because Isla’s rare flair matches her father’s, the curse spares her, leaving only blank pages at first. On rereads, scattered sentences gradually appear, and finally an ornate skyre—a rose-like mark within an orb—surfaces without explanation. Cautious of unknown effects, Isla refrains from inscribing it.

That evening, Grim takes Isla to the village for dinner. Amid noise and warmth, he notes she could be happy there. They share food and humor, and after a stolen kiss in an alley, Grim suggests chocolate, but Isla chooses him instead. He portals them home, their connection and mutual commitment deepening.