The sage's amber eyes widened in recognition, old memories stirring like leaves in an autumn wind.
"Mother?" He paused, his gaze shifting between Jaegar and Diana, wheels of understanding turning behind those timeless eyes.
Jaegar scrunched his brows, staring at the old man, as he was staring too hard at her.
Then comprehension dawned like sunrise over mountains.
"Ah, yes... it comes back to me now. Augusta had a sister. You are Diana." His voice softened with the weight of old sorrows and remembered losses.
"Angelina mentioned you before, in the days when she still spoke of Augusta without pain clouding her words."
He stepped forward with the motion of a man half his age, extending a hand weathered by years of spell-casting and potion-brewing.
"Forgive my surprise, Lady Diana. I am Sage Eradarin, keeper of the old ways and longtime friend to this house. You are most welcome here."
"You are behaving like you own the house," Jaegar said.
