The image of Kaelvryn standing alone against the horizon followed her down every stair, his silhouette rigid, his isolation more striking than his anger had been.
Valen had witnessed him in fury before but this was different. She made her way through the palace corridors her mind refusing rest.
Servants passed her with lowered heads, whispers trailing in her wake. The emergency council session had shaken the court, and word traveled swiftly even when truth did not. None approached her, none dared question her expression, which must have betrayed more than she intended.
She found Lucas outside one of the inner medical chambers. Two royal physicians stood just beyond the heavy wooden doors, speaking in hushed tones as they prepared salves and linen.
The faint scent of crushed herbs lingered in the air, sharp and medicinal. Inside, she knew, Lord Aldridge was receiving treatment for the bruising at his throat, for the damage inflicted by a king who had trusted him too deeply.
