Verity's POV

The air outside Veyran's palace was different.

It should have been lighter—cleaner now that the darkness had been purged, now that the monster who had ruled this cursed place was dead. But as I stood in the courtyard, watching the rescue teams emerge from the depths of the stronghold, all I still felt it press against my chest making me sigh and wonder if it would ever really change.

I heard them before I saw them.

The shuffle of feet, the murmur of healers offering comfort, ...