Dravina POV
Morning crept in slowly, the pale light weaving soft patterns across the walls. Malrik lay beside me, his presence a quiet, steady weight on the mattress. Strange he was almost always the first to rise. Perhaps the journey had drained him more than I realized.
My thoughts returned to the summons he had attended with Zenovia and Dashira, a knot of unease settling in my chest. It had to be about his bond with Zenovia. The very thought tugged at something buried deep within me, an ache I tried, and failed, to bury. I hated this helplessness the reminder that some things were utterly beyond my control.
I turned toward him. His face, usually so guarded and set in iron lines, was softened by sleep. For once, he looked vulnerable. I slipped carefully from the bed, the cool floor gr
