Malrik POV

An hour later we were ready to move toward Strowhowl. Dravina stood beside me, composed on the outside; I could tell her mind was turning, thoughts skittering beneath that calm surface. Having Cassian in the room made things awkward still but not as tense as the last time. Progress, slow and stubborn, but real. They moved around each other like familiar strangers: known, but distant. The wounds hadn’t sealed, only dulled at the edges. Time would do the rest.

Before we left I ...