Elara’s POV
“Mommy!”
The small voice hit me before the small body did. Valerius launched himself at my legs with the force of a tiny cannonball, nearly knocking me sideways on the cobblestone path.
I dropped to my knees and caught him, pulling him tight against my chest. The scent of chalk dust and honey cakes clung to his curls. My arms ached from hours of quill work, but the weight of him — warm, wriggling, impossibly alive — dissolved every ounce of tension I’d been carrying since that golden transmission stone went dark.
“My little knight.” I pressed my lips to his forehead. “Did you conquer the academy today?”
“I made a friend!” He pulled back just enough to show me his face. Those dark gold eyes — his father’s eyes, though he’d never know it — were blazing with pride. “His name
