While the High Council’s headquarters wasn’t literally made of dragon bones, in Winter’s eyes, it might as well have been. The lobby was massive. Every surface seemed to shimmer as if it were plated with silver and gold. The walls were made of carved marble, alternating shades of olive and sequoia in stripes that travelled from the ceiling to the floor. The ceiling itself was engraved with clusters of interconnected gears, four per bunch; the official marking of the High Council. Behind the main desk was a mural that depicted the building itself, with its blocky base and skyward-stretching length, slanting beams of moonlight pouring out from its tip. Above that peak was the final piece of the mural, a double-layered, elongated rhombus, a scaled-up depiction of the insignia on the of Winter’s uniform. The Star Shard, brand of the Moonlight Guardians.

    “Mother of all gods,” Karina muttered under her breath, stepping forward slowly, staring around with parted lips and eyes full of wonder. “This is where Joohyun and Seulgi live now?”

    Winter nodded, grabbing Karina by the hand and leading her through the thick crowd. Despite the fact that she’d visited this place many times before, she found herself nearly awestruck as well. There was an air of noble history to this place. Before the rise of the Pharusians, she was sure it had been a place where generals, the worlds’ leaders, and the elite members of society came to make their plans. Ancient Pharus - or New York, as it was called - was said to be the hub of activity for its nation. Winter often wondered what types of warriors New York trained, and if they were as powerful and righteous as the Moonlight Guardians today.

    Together, Karina and Winter approached the front desk. An older gentleman with spectacles and a reserved, well-cut tunic stood there, scanning through papers. He didn’t seem to notice their approach.

Winter was about to speak up when, surprisingly, Karina stepped in front of her.

“Excuse me,” Karina said loudly, causing the man to jump and look up at her sharply. “I have an appointment with Joohyun and Seulgi today.”

The man glanced at Karina, then at Winter, and cocked an eyebrow. Winter found it hard to meet his stony gaze, but Karina didn’t seem to have that problem.

“An appointment with Masters Bae and Kang?” he asked, glancing down at one of his many sheets of paper. “What is your name?”

“Karina,” the black-haired girl paused and frowned. “Ah, Yoo Jimin, actually.”

The man looked up, narrowing his eyes, an intensity coming about his wizened features. Winter nearly grabbed Karina’s hand for support, but she fought the urge. The pull of her extra mark made her want to rely on Karina for everything. And that, of course, was unacceptable. The opposite of a true Moonlight Guardian’s mentality.

“Which is it?” the man asked incredulously, glancing over at the two guards that flanked the desk.

    Karina met his glare with her own. “For your purposes, it is both. I doubt you’ll find my name in there for a specific time slot. I was told I could request their audience at any time today.”

    “Request their audience?” the man demanded, voice dropping to a dangerous whisper. “Who do you think you are?”

    “Someone far more important than you,” Karina said dismissively. “Send a message to them and let them know their old apprentice is here.”

    The man grew red in the face, and Winter was about to speak, to intervene in some way before things got out of control. She wasn’t sure what exactly to say, even, but anything was better than Karina’s haughtiness.

    Before Winter had even opened , however, a tall figure rushed over. She was a reserved-looking woman, with chestnut brown hair and a gentle, round face. She wore a white-collared, checkered dress that stopped just at her ankles, marking her as an attendant. Not a Moonlight Guardian proper, but someone who worked with the upper echelons of their organization, assisting with non-combat duties.

    “You’re Karina, correct?” the woman asked, standing pointedly between the man and Karina. Winter released a sigh of relief, glad that someone had come to their rescue. Though, admittedly, Karina’s no-nonsense attitude was quite attractive.

“Yes, that would be me,” Karina said, smiling, an immediate shift from her previously antagonistic demeanor. “I presume one of the council sent you?”

“My name is Tzuyu. I’m Master Kang’s attendant. She told me to keep an eye out for you,” Tzuyu’s gaze flickered over to Winter, who nodded in response. “And you are…?”

“This is my bond-mate,” Karina said, interlocking her elbow with Winter’s and pulling her close. “She must accompany me, for she has vital information for the council as well.”

The attendant paused, looking utterly at a loss for words. Winter felt her face growing hot. Being held this close by Karina was extremely distracting, sending Winter’s black Crest in a mad, rushing coil around her thigh. Even without taking that into account, Tzuyu had likely never heard of the concept of a bond-mate. Hell, until Winter had become one this morning, she hadn’t, either. 

“Um, right,” Tzuyu said, turning away. “Follow me, then.”

With a final, shy glance over at the old man behind the desk - who was silently fuming, pointedly looking away from the three women - Winter, Karina, and Tzuyu departed. They took a long hallway, at the end of which were a set of twin steel doors. They parted, revealing a tiny box of room that she recognized as a lift. Tzuyu stepped inside, then turned expectantly.

Winter, whose arm was still interlocked with Karina’s, noted that her companion had stopped in her tracks.

“It’s a lift, Karina,” Winter whispered, leaning close to the taller woman, “Have you ever been on one before?”

Karina frowned deeply. “No. Never.”

“Is everything alright?” Tzuyu asked, holding open the automatic doors, preventing them from sealing.

    “Yep, absolutely fine!” Winter said, tugging on Karina’s arm, forcing her to follow.

    Karina and Winter piled into the lift room. Tzuyu hit the button for their destination - the number was forty-seven, meaning they were going that many floors up - and the lift lurched. Karina gasped, grabbing at the sides of the tiny room and causing Tzuyu to jump.

    “It’s okay,” Winter said soothingly, ignoring Tzuyu’s obvious anxiety. “That’s normal. It’s just the feeling of gravity from the lift moving up so fast.”

    Karina swallowed. She looked pale, as if she was about to be sick. “I would have rather leapt up there. So much less stressful…”

    Winter was about to ask if Karina could actually jump forty-seven floors into the air when the lift lurched to a halt. Tzuyu hurried out first, understandably quite eager to be out of a confined space with Karina. Winter led her bond-mate out into yet another hall, this