Four days passed in a blur of activities, the kind that left dust on boots and sunburn on forearms. The last day of their stay in the coastal territory was bright and wind-swept, with the salt of the sea air mixing with the earthy scent of dry soil—a land thirsting for rain.
Sienna-Rose hadn't had much time to speak with young Ivan. Most of her hours had been spent assisting the marquis directly, her attention consumed by the dire drought that had plagued the region for months.
She worked without too much talking, but her impact was impossible to ignore. Where once cracked earth and brittle crops had whispered of famine, now stood a clear reservoir—larger and deeper than anything they had seen before. Built with precision and infused with layered enchantments, it shimmered with stored water that would last the region through the next dry season.
