Ashen paced the outer chamber like a caged storm, boots scuffing everywhere, fingers hooked under his nails until the quick hurt. He could not make sense of how his mother could have gone so far, how the people sworn to protect the realm could twist the truth until it strangled a family.
The high chief priest had just explained everything to him, and he was heartbroken.
"Why? Why?" he kept whispering to the empty air, as if the answer might crawl out from beneath the stones.
Lumina sat near the doorway, only Stella and Ero remained with her. They watched Ashen's turmoil with concern. Stella, though still pale, leaned forward to help Lumina to her feet when she shifted.
The antidote Adam had procured had done its work to stabilize her though Lord Drex had sternly advised Lumina against relying on it. He feared unpredictable consequences.
