Eliana POV
I did not think that there would be anything in store for me
Mornings had become a routine: wake up before the sun came out, sweat in the training ring and afterward, make believe that the bruises on my chest were causing me discomfort, other than loneliness.
On the stone shelf in my bedside was the bracelet, wrapped in a little scrap of soft black stuff like the warriors would wrap talent-symbols before they went to fight.
It was simple. Beautiful. Carved from polished whitewood, warm to the touch like it remembered the hands that made it. Etched across the center was a small spiral enclosed by a crescent and shield—the symbols of moonstead, protection, and steady grounding.
My fingers brushed it once.
Twice.
I didn’t need to ask who made it.
I slipped it on before I co
