"Vaelric! My son!"
Aurelia moved before anyone could stop her. She hurried across the courtyard, her midnight-blue gown sweeping over the dust-covered stones. The moment she reached him, she dropped to her knees, pulling him into an embrace so fierce it seemed she intended to merge their very souls.
"Mother," Vaelric murmured, wrapping his arms around her, burying his face in the scent of jasmine and lavender that always followed her.
For several moments, the ruined courtyard vanished. The crackle of dying fires, the acrid scent of scorched earth, and the shimmering remnants of the blue lightning faded into a blur.
Aurelia pressed her cheek against his hair, her fingers trembling as they traced the line of his neck and the back of his head.
