The quiet that followed the Gate’s retreat was not relief.
It was reckoning.
Aurelia lay on the stone floor of the ridge shelter, eyes half-lidded, breath shallow but steady. The Sovereign healers had cleared everyone else out, not because she asked but because the ground itself had made it clear. The stone hummed softly beneath her, a warning vibration that discouraged proximity.
Kane sat a short distance away, back against the wall, watching her like the world might shatter again if he looked away.
She stirred.
He was on his feet instantly. “Hey. Easy.”
Aurelia’s eyes opened fully. They were sharp, focused too focused for someone who should have been unconscious.
“How long?” she asked.
“An hour,” Kane replied. “Maybe a little more.”
She exhaled. “Too short.”
“That’s not somethi
