Chapter 26: The Elder's Recognition
(Grace's POV)
The healing chamber was calm, as it usually was when I worked with Margaret Amber. The low hum of the ancient crystals surrounded the air while I checked her vitals and prepared her next set of treatments. The elderly matriarch sat with her eyes closed, but I knew better than to mistake her stillness for weakness. Her aura still radiated authority, no matter how frail her body might appear.
I reached for her wrist to monitor her pulse. The moment my fingers touched her skin, her hand shot out and gripped my wrist tightly. I gasped in surprise. Her strength was shocking for someone as advanced in age as she was.
Her amber eyes snapped open wide, locking fiercely onto mine. For a moment, the air around us felt heavy, almost suffocatin
