Darius's POV
By morning the castle was already awake. Footsteps echoed in the corridors, hammers rang from the courtyard forge, and kitchen steam drifted even to the upper floors. The Council was no doubt already hunched over their maps, but I barely remembered they existed. Every part of me stayed anchored to one thing: Seraphine was alive.
The woman who had nearly died yesterday was now sitting up in bed—arguing with the healer.
“I told you, I’m fine,” Sera insisted, pushing herself higher. The healer immediately pressed her back.
“And I told you you’re not,” the old woman replied dryly. “Keep this up and I’ll have to sew you together again from the start.”
“I just want to sit, not fight,” Sera muttered, rolling her eyes. The tone alone told me her spark was back.
The healer glance
