Aldric showed up the next morning carrying a letter.
Aria sat at the small table downstairs, nursing a bowl of broth and a piece of bread. The four-pointed mark in her chest throbbed with a dull, steady warmth. Pale morning light cut through the window glass, hitting the floorboards in cold streaks. Right beside her, Kael was squinting at the tiny message stone Vael had forwarded during the night. The news from home was decent enough. The kingdom was holding its ground. Helsa was making herself useful. Over by the eastern cliffs, everything remained quiet.
Aldric knocked once.
She called out for him to enter, and he slipped inside.
He pulled up a seat across from her, fingers tightly gripping the parchment. His face wore that specific, quiet look he always got when the news was a heavy
