Ryell finally fell asleep, and Atissa sneaked out of the bed. The same thing that made him look so peaceful in his slumber grated on her nerves. A small shard of an imbued stone within his skin brought relief to his hunger, but it also reminded her of what she had lost. Ever since the demon cut off her tie to magic, the nagging longing had destroyed all her focus. Even the sight of her family home, one she never knew, didn’t ease the turmoil within her. So far, nothing did.
When they’d first arrived, the few servants her father had kept around served food and prepared baths for both her and Ryell. She allowed herself to indulge in rest after days of straining travel, even if her mind circled things her father had mentioned in the other letter, the one she hadn’t shown to anyone.
There wa
