Astraea approached me later, her silver armor cracked, her expression unreadable.
"My people owe you," she said.
"I didn’t do this for debts," I replied.
She held out a crystal: pale blue, etched with Frostbound script. "Use it if I fall."
"A failsafe?"
"A promise," she said. "That the next time I choose a side, I’ll fight to the last breath."
She walked away without waiting for thanks.
Seraphina appeared behind me. "She’s warming up to you."
I smirked. "You call that warm?"
"In her language?" she said, brushing her fingers over mine. "It’s a confession."