Chapter 47 — Where the World Listens Back
The messenger arrived at dusk.
Not through the gates, not with ceremony or warning, but on foot mud splattered, breathless, eyes bright with a kind of awe that made the guards uneasy. He collapsed to one knee in the outer courtyard, clutching a sealed packet as though it might dissolve if he let go.
Elowen was already descending the steps when Ryn intercepted him.
"Slow," Ryn said firmly, gripping the man's shoulders. "You're safe. Breathe."
Not through the gates, not with ceremony or warning, but on foot mud splattered, breathless, eyes bright with a kind of awe that made the guards uneasy. He collapsed to one knee in the outer courtyard, clutching a sealed packet as though it might dissolve if he let go.
Elowen was already descending the steps when Ryn intercepted him.
"Slow," Ryn said firmly, gripping the man's shoulders. "You're safe. Breathe."
