[Gale's POV]
My body was a leaden weight, each step an act of sheer will. The constant drain of mana to maintain my human form, compounded by the psychic backlash from Ovelia's earlier terror and my own disturbing visions, had left me dangerously depleted. But a change had come through our bond. The icy, gnawing loneliness and sharp panic that had been echoing from her were gone, replaced by a gentle, steady warmth. Relief, safety, companionship. She's with the others.
