The jet ride back to the Celestial estate was quieter than I expected.
Mia fell asleep about twenty minutes into the flight, her head resting on Mom's lap while she clutched the stuffed snow fox tight against her chest.
Mom spent most of the journey staring out the window, her hand absently stroking Mia's hair, her thoughts somewhere I couldn't reach. The afternoon light filtered through the clouds, casting shifting shadows across the cabin.
Lyra sat across from me, calm as always, but I caught her watching me a few times with that particular expression she got when she was worried about something and didn't want to say it out loud.
I didn't ask. Didn't need to. We'd been through enough that I could read her silences by now.
I spent the flight staring at the clouds, thinking about everything and nothing at the same time. About the training. About Theron. About the trial waiting for me.
The estate came into view around midday.
