Snow clung to the back of his coat.
Not from walking.
From being tossed onto the courtyard path like a sack of regret.
Lindarion stood, brushing himself off with what little pride hadn't been knocked loose. Luneth hadn't moved from where she stood under the arch, one hand still half-raised in case he tried anything else stupid.
"You were kidnapped," she said. Not a question.
"I got better," he muttered.
Her brow didn't move. "You were gone for weeks."
"I counted."
"And now you're standing here. No letter. No report. No warning."
He nodded once. "All true."
Lira stood behind him, silent, arms crossed. Sylric was leaning against a wall like this was a coffee break.
Luneth looked at them both, then back to him.
"You came back alone?"
"No."
Her gaze sharpened.
"I came back with Lira and Sylric," he clarified. "And a few answers. But not enough."
She took a step closer.
The wind shifted between them, sharp, cold, not unnatural, just there.
