Under the shade of one of the academy's oldest oak trees, he spotted Veyla. She was seated gracefully on a low stone bench, a book resting open in her lap.
Sunlight streamed through the leaves above, scattering dappled patterns across her face and the pale pages she was reading.
Kael came to a stop in front of her. "Veyla."
She looked up, a calm, knowing expression in her eyes. "Kael. Survived the mob"
"Barely," he replied with a faint smirk, though his voice softened a moment later. "I wanted to thank you. For the elixir you gave me last night."
Her lips curved into a subtle smile. "The Elixir of Body Control isn't something I give to just anyone. I trust you'll use it well?"
"I will," Kael said without hesitation. "It means a lot that you'd give it to me."
Veyla closed her book gently, her gaze warm but steady. "Then don't waste the break. Twenty-nine days can slip away before you realize it."
"I know," he said quietly.
