But his posture is straight. His eyes, when they look up at us, are bright and clear.
Elara is sitting beside him. She is awake, her small legs dangling off the cot. She is drawing in a sketchbook, her crayons moving in slow, deliberate circles. The golden aura around her is faint, but steady.
"Papa," Asher says, setting his mug down. "Is Uncle Kieran going to be okay?"
Kade kneels in front of him, his massive frame folding easily. He reaches out and gently wipes the dried blood from Asher’s face with his thumb. "He’s going to be okay, little wolf. He’s just very tired. He used a lot of his magic today."
Asher nods, his mismatched eyes serious. "I felt it. When he cut the tether. It felt like a loud noise in my head. But then I held it. I held the mortar."
"You did more than hold it,
