AYLA'S POV
(THE JOURNEY BACK)
The moment Morrigan's message arrived—*She's ready. Come for your daughter*—we left.
No preparation. No planning. Just blind, desperate need to see Lyra again.
The journey to the Deep Forest took three days. It felt like three years.
"What if she's different?" I asked Kael on the second night. We sat by the fire, unable to sleep. "What if the training changed her so much we don't recognize her?"
"Then we get to know her again." His voice was steady, but through our bond, I felt his own fear. "She's still our daughter. Still Lyra."
"Is she? She's been with Morrigan for six months. Six months of being broken and rebuilt. What if—" My voice cracked. "What if we get back a weapon instead of a child?"
"Then we love the weapon until she remembers she's also a child." He took my hand. "We don't give up on her. No matter what."
"Even if she doesn't remember us?"
"She'll remember. The parent-bond doesn't break. You said so yourself."
