Dorian POV
I found Elara in the library the next morning.
She looked different. Changed in ways I couldn't quite define. Not just tired. Though she was clearly exhausted. Dark circles under her eyes. Skin paler than usual.
But there was something else. A strength that hadn't been there before. A certainty in the way she held herself.
Like she'd crossed some invisible line during the night and couldn't go back.
"Dorian." She looked up from the books spread across the table. "Did Theron send you?"
"No." I closed the door carefully. Made sure we were alone. "I came on my own. To warn you. And to give you something you need."
"Warn me about what?"
"About what's really happening at the parley. About what Theron plans." I pulled out the cipher. The one I'd stolen from his private chambers. Risked everything to get. "This document. It's not just about the Ashen Gate. It's about you. About what he plans to do with you."
