Urag pressed his thumb gently against the center of her brow.
A quiet, crimson-and-violet light hummed beneath his skin. It surged through his touch not as a harsh command, but as a soothing, hypnotic wave.
The magical warmth washed directly into her mind, untangling the frayed threads of her terror.
Eiravyne's ragged breathing instantly slowed. Her heavy eyelids fluttered shut, her tense muscles slackening completely as she collapsed into a deep, dreamless slumber right against his chest.
With her safely asleep in his arms, Urag set to work in the steaming pool.
He cradled her head in one hand, using a subtle pulse of his magic to draw the water up in gentle, swirling streams over her long, dark hair.
He worked lather through her tangled locks, patiently washing away the remaining residue of the days of road dust, rinsing it until her hair floated soft and clean around her shoulders like dark silk.
