He fell into position—slightly behind, to the right, standard escort placement, close enough for immediate response—and they moved through the administrative corridor together. Clerks bowed. Officials pressed to walls. The ordinary machinery of a functioning palace in motion.
"Demorti tells me you presented for duty ahead of Cullens' projected timeline," Elara said after they'd cleared the most densely populated section.
"Yes, Your Highness."
"Explain."
Mahir was quiet for several steps—not hesitant, she'd learned to distinguish his quality of silence from hesitation, this was considering. "I recovered faster than the projection. Master Cullens attributed it partially to beast physiology baseline and partially to a secondary effect of the collar discharge process." A pause. "Apparently sustained magical discharge at that level has the effect of clearing accumulated stress load in a beast knight's core. The kind that builds up over extended periods of high-alert service."
