Kael woke before dawn on what would be his last day alive.
He did not know it was his last day. But his body knew. Every part of him was tired in a way that sleep could not fix. His heart beat slowly. His breathing was shallow. He had maybe a few hours. Maybe less.
He lay in the darkness and listened to Lyris sleeping beside him. After fifty years together, they had learned to sleep in silence. No words necessary. Just the comfort of another presence.
Kael carefully got out of bed. He moved slowly, trying not to wake her. He wanted this morning to himself. He wanted to be alone with his thoughts.
He made his way to the forge, moving through familiar halls by memory as much as sight. The forge had been his home before the castle became his home. The forge had been where he first learned
