Thalan dismissed the troops at last, sweat-soaked and breathing hard but standing taller than before. The forest itself seemed to hum approval, as if acknowledging their effort.
He turned to Lindarion, bowing deeply this time. "You've given us more in a morning than years of routine, my prince."
Lindarion shook his head. "You gave yourselves that. I merely reminded you of what lies beneath comfort."
Thalan smiled faintly. "Still, I suspect the young ones will speak of this day long after we're gone."
Ashwing flicked his tail. "Of course they will. You all looked like confused squirrels for the first half."
A ripple of laughter spread among the soldiers, light, cautious, but genuine.
Lindarion allowed himself the smallest of smiles. For the first time since arriving in Lorienya, the air felt lighter.
But beneath that calm, he still felt it, the faint tremor of something distant. A ripple in the weave of mana that did not belong to the forest.
