Lira watched Kael from her corner of the training hall—his movements sharp but slower, like his body remembered things his mind was too loud to hear. The silence between them stretched long, taut like wires strung across a minefield.
He hadn't spoken about the private session with Seren. He didn't have to.
Seren's voice now accompanied every command, her eyes colder, her tone more clipped. The woman who once encouraged efficiency now demanded submission.
Lira tasted something bitter in her mouth every time Seren smiled.
At night, the compound creaked like it too was suffocating.