Ashlynn slumped to the floor beside the oak sapling in a clatter of armor that felt far too loud in the breathless silence that followed the breaking of the Lothian line and the birth of a brand new sacred tree.
"Ash!" Jocelynn cried as she rushed across the floor. Ollie was only half a step behind her as they raced to Ashlynn's side.
"I'm fine," Ashlynn said weakly as she looked at the worried faces on either side of her. With Ollie on her right and Jocelynn on her left, she was surrounded by both the fierce protectiveness of the Cypress Knight and the tender loving concern of her younger sister, and for a moment, a small smile formed on her lips as she basked in the feeling of being loved.
