Van's words still lingered in the smoky air when Asthia suddenly shifted on the cot. Her silver eyes gleamed faintly in the firelight as she reached forward with one bandaged hand.
Before Reth could react, her fingers locked firmly around his. Her grip wasn't strong, not with her injuries, but it was deliberate—unyielding.
The firelight flickered across her pale face as she leaned just slightly toward him, her gaze never leaving Seris.
The silence sharpened like a blade.
Reth stiffened, his breath catching, every nerve alive with the pressure of her cool hand against his. Through the faint pulse of Draconic Resonance, he could even feel Sol stir faintly at the bond, curiosity humming like an ember.
Asthia's lips curled, not into a smile, but into something thinner—closer to a challenge than affection. "You hear him, Seris? Authority suits him. Doesn't it?"
