Liora inspected the sword, then asked me to put it down.
I had expected questions about the black edge. She wanted to see my hand.
"Open it."
I spread my fingers. The old scar showed pink at the edge of the palm, though the heat had settled. She looked without touching.
"Does it hurt when you close it?"
"Not now."
"That's a useful last word."
She stepped away from the table and set two wooden practice weapons beside the training marks. Nihil remained on its rest while Veylan explained the permitted comparison. First, ordinary movement with a familiar weapon. Then, if the hand stayed steady, one brief active contact against the low training strip.
No sustained feed. No second attempt to force a failed opening. The keeper had brought the case into the adjoining court, and the healer remained at its shaded side. Liora listened to the conditions, asked about the pain from that morning, and reduced the movement sequence before I could object.
