Chapter 101: The Anchor's Echo
The week following the convergence was a study in fragile normalcy. The imperial soldiers did not return. Alaric's cutter vanished from the channel. Hester's promised report was a silent abstraction, its arrival date and impact unknown. The cove itself seemed to hold its breath, the usual rhythms of wind and wave persisting, but under a watchful, unspoken tension.
Aurora's recovery from the emotional onslaught was slower this time. She clung more tightly to Elara or Kaelen, her once-boundless explorations of the cove now limited to the immediate garden and the warm circle of the hearth. The clear crystal Hester had given her became a permanent fixture in her small hand, its surface occasionally clouding with a wisp of grey or a flash of amber when her feelings grew too large. It was a pressure valve, and they were grateful for it.
