They dismounted off the horse, the transition from the saddle to the glowing Ghost-Moss of the forest floor causing Valan to stumble. He was unsteady, his balance compromised by the sheer weight of the Veil Sight he had been forced to maintain. Serena reached out instantly, her hand catching his arm to steady him, her fingers digging into the firm muscle of his bicep. Valan froze for a heartbeat, the heat of her touch cutting through the chill of his magical fatigue, before he gently moved her arm away. It was a silent, prideful assertion of his own strength, even as his face remained a pale, ashen grey. The horse, sensing the safety of the perimeter, let out a soft whinny and trotted to a patch of long grass near the cabin’s foundation, making itself at home in the golden light.
The thre
