NORA POV
The dawn brought clarity, but not comfort. I rose before sunrise, the moon still faint in the eastern sky. Liana slept in the cradle-room beneath protective wards—a child sacred, yet unshielded in spirit. I pressed a soft kiss to her forehead, feeling the lull of her pulse like the beating of hope itself.
Next, I stepped into the courtyard. The wards flickered gold in the pre-dawn mist. Starielle walked beside me, staff in hand, robes whispering on cobblestones. Kalen trailed behind, sword at his side but eyes on me. Valya and Daemon stood guard near the portal.
“Are they coming?” I whispered.
Starielle closed her eyes. “Soon, Mother. Soon.” She pointed to the western vale. “They cross at first light.”
I nodded. “Let them come.”
We awaited.
KALEN POV
I watched the easter
