The wielders' support group met in a small room above a bakery in Lumeria's merchant quarter. Eight chairs arranged in a circle. Windows that let in afternoon light. The smell of bread baking below, warm and comforting.
Marron arrived early, the Blade at her hip, Aldric beside her. They were the first ones there aside from the facilitator—a middle-aged woman named Helena who wore simple clothes and had kind, tired eyes.
"Miss Louvel," Helena said, standing to greet them. "Welcome. I'm Helena Thatch, retired wielder. I carried a Lesser Legendary Compass for three years before it was confiscated. I've been running these sessions for about a month now—Edmund's idea, though he'd never admit he borrowed it from me."
"You proposed this?" Marron sat in one of the chairs, feeling the wood creak beneath her.
