One Hour Later in the Elder's Pagoda.
Primrose woke up to the smell of incense and the sound of hushed, reverent whispers.
She was lying on a pile of silk cushions—way more cushions than before. She was covered in a blanket made of what felt like spun gold.
She sat up, groaning. Her head throbbed.
"The Divine One awakens!" Elder Renard announced, bowing so low his nose touched the floor.
Primrose looked around.
The Warlords and Caspian were sitting in a semi-circle around her bed. They looked... unsettled.
Caspian looked healthy for the first time in months. His skin was glowing, the black veins gone. But he was staring at Primrose with a strange mix of relief and shared secrecy.
Rajah was polishing his sword nervously.
Cassian was scribbling furiously in a notebook.
Rurik was just staring at her ears, as if expecting them to burst into flames.
Lucien was in the corner, his eyes narrowed in calculation.
