The word sounded woefully inadequate.
“It surrounded her. Flowed through her.” She shook her head. “Nay, that is not right either.”
Kaelan remained silent, giving her time to sort it out.
Her voice dropped to little more than a whisper. “It was as though the woman commanded life itself.”
The words lingered between them.
Bria stared down at her hands. “I felt it, Kaelan.”
His arm tightened around her.
She looked up at him. “I felt her power.” The memory sent a shiver through her. “Death had already claimed Elara, but the woman did not accept it.”
Kaelan listened, trying to comprehend the impossible.
“Her power did not fight death.” She took a breath. “She simply overruled it.”
The enormity of the statement hung between them.
“Now I understand why kings and rulers search for her,” Bria said, “Why spies cross borders. Why tales persist. But now… I think the stories did not tell enough.”
A knock sounded at the door.
“That would be my great-grandmother,” Bria said.
Kaelan’s brow rose. “You are certain?”
Bria nodded. “She had to have sensed I saw something.”
A faint smile touched Kaelan’s lips. “You are becoming more like her quickly.”
Before Bria could respond, another knock sounded.
Kaelan crossed the room and opened the door.
Wynn stood there, concern in her eyes. Without waiting for an invitation, she stepped inside.
Her attention went straight to Bria. “Are you well?”
“I am,” Bria assured her with a faint smile.
Wynn studied her as though deciding whether to believe her. Then her gaze dropped and her expression changed instantly.
“What is that?” Wynn pointed.
Bria looked down at her chest. The leather cord had shifted and part of the pendant peeked from beneath her blouse. Instinctively, Bria’s hand went to it.
The reaction did not escape Wynn.
“Show me.”
The request came quietly, yet it carried the weight of command.
Bria glanced at her husband, and he dipped his head slightly. She understood his nod. He was letting her know he would stand by whatever she decided.
The exchange was not lost to Wynn.
