Before the sun had even risen, Thalia was already prepared for departure. The air was still cool, the sky cloaked in indigo hues as she stepped outside the manor, where her carriage had been readied hours before. After the council meeting the previous day, she had spent the evening packing a few essentials, keeping her luggage light yet efficient for several days of travel. Every item was carefully chosen — garments suited for both rough roads and formal encounters, medicinal herbs just in case, and the dagger Aston had given her as a silent token of protection.
“My Lady, please… let me come with you,” Selia pleaded, clutching the edge of a trunk as she helped lift it from the carriage. Her expression was strained with worry, lips pressed into a tight line.
As arranged, Mage Kayne would
