The morning was thin with light when I finished the last of my latest batch of beast cores.
The residue of their energy still buzzed in my veins warm, like molten iron ready to be forged.
I wiped my palms on my robes, went to the bathroom and rinsed quickly, then dressed in the loose, flexible set I always wore just because they were less revealing and I couldn't take any risk while posing as a man.
The bindings at my chest and the cut of the trousers flattened the shape of me into something easily read as male by the careless eyes that filled this sect, they would never even imagine that a woman would be brave enough to be in their midst, arrogant set that they were.
I tied my hair up tight; the knot was a crown of practicality with no frills.
My reflection in the mirror gave me a handsome young man's silhouette but only because I didn't smile and usually kept my expression neutral.
