(Isla) Kieran is acting different and I don’t know why. It started three days ago, after the night Elira taught me the shield. He still trains with me every morning. He still anchors my thread when I wrap the light around me and the baby. He still tells me when to stop before I burn out. But everything else is off. He doesn’t sit at the table with everyone for meals anymore. He eats early, alone, and then disappears to check the borders. He doesn’t talk unless he has to. Before he would explain things. “This is why we do it this way.” “Watch how the thread pulls.” Now it’s just, “Again.” “Hold it.” “Enough.” And he watches me, not like a guard watches but like he is trying to figure something out and doesn’t want me to see him doing it. It is making me nervous. *****************

