Ezra woke without pain. That was the first thing he noticed. The second was the light. It wasn't the harsh glare of the cavern lamps or the flickering green of the tunnel. It was soft. Diffused. Like sunlight through deep water.
He sat up. He looked at his left arm. The bone had been shattered. He remembered the snap. The fire. The cold. Now, the arm moved smoothly. The skin was unbroken. But it wasn't normal skin. It had a faint sheen. Like polished stone. Like ice.
He looked around. He was lying on a bed of moss. Not real moss. Crystalline structures that resembled plants. They glowed softly. Mara was sitting beside him. She was watching the Heart.
The Heart was sealed again. The ice shell had reformed. Ash was inside. Invisible. But present. The pulse was steady. Thump. Thump. Thump.
