Valerica arrived first.
It was mid-morning when she appeared at the compound steps, clad in a heavy travel coat fresh from the Sol capital, a single bag slung over her shoulder. The outer ring was entirely empty, save for Vane. He stood near the western wall, his spear leaning against the ancient stone beside him. She stepped through the iron gate and froze.
She didn't need to try to read him; the Celestial Heart pulsed within her, an involuntary and immediate response to the staggering depth of his ambient field. The rushing, chaotic energy it returned was a world away from what she had felt a year ago at the capital residence—back when she had desperately seized his collar and shoved four pages of frantic, meticulously detailed tea-blend specifications into his hands because she hadn't possessed the words to say please don't die.
