Chapter 22: New Beginnings and Old Shadows
The morning light filtered softly through the slatted window blinds, casting pale stripes across the quiet infirmary room. Sophia's breathing was steady now, calmer, her fever finally relapsing. The faint pallor of exhaustion remained, but her bright blue eyes, sharp as the moon on a plane winter night, shone with an eager restlessness that had previously seemed impossibly distant.
A soft creak from the doorway heralded the arrival of another presence. Brynhild stepped through, her silhouette framed against the dim light of the corridor beyond. The tone of authority and concern she always carried softened as her gaze fell on Sophia.
