"Lady Celine?" Nox said quietly.
He stood still on the stone path, his dark wings already gone as if they had never existed. The air no longer felt cold. It was warm and calm, with the faint smell of herbs drifting from the small house behind her. Sunlight touched the garden wall, and the sound of leaves moving in the breeze made the place feel too peaceful after what had just happened.
The old woman blinked at him, then smiled the same way she always used to. Her white hair was tied back neatly, and her simple healer's robe moved lightly around her thin frame. She looked exactly as she had back in the barony.
"My little Nox," she said in that same affectionate voice. "Why are you standing there like that? Come here and let me look at you."
