The days that followed fell into a new, careful rhythm.
Alex spent most mornings in the courtyard or the ridge edge, the seven stones arranged before him while he rested against a growing mountain of cushions Sally kept adding. The artifacts continued to warm—slowly, steadily. The Bronze stone glowed faintly whenever Granite sat nearby. The Water stone shimmered brighter in Zale's presence. The obsidian Void stone pulsed with shimmery darkness when Naga touched it.
And always, the small lives inside Alex responded.
