My first impression of Cathryn Whitmore had been a little fuzzy, being that I was just coming out of a coma. But I was wide-awake when I saw her the next time, and the sense of her power hit me hard.
Cathryn was smaller than I had expected. She was slender, and her blonde hair was as white as I remembered. It fell around her shoulders in a cascade this time, instead of being away from her face. Her face seemed softer, too, but maybe that was just my imagination, since I had been barely lucid when we'd first met.
“Nell, you look wonderful." She smiled at me, and there was more warmth there than I expected. I had been thinking of her as an ice queen these last few days, though I didn't know why. Again, maybe just a mistaken impression.
“Thank you. I feel better than I did when you ... bef
