Roseth follows my gaze toward the window.
“The docks collapsed on the eastern side,” she says quietly. “Several homes were damaged near the lake. Temple stairs cracked apart entirely.”
“And the people?”
Her eyes meet mine again.“Alive because of you.”
Something twists uncomfortably in my chest.
For most of my life, my magic only left destruction behind. Fear. Silence. Ruins. Even when I followed orders perfectly, people looked at me the way they look at storms approaching across open water.
Last night they looked at me differently.
I am not certain I know what to do with that. A knock sounds against the forge door before it swings open without waiting for permission.
Vi enters first carrying folded cloth beneath one arm. Brohm follows behind her, balancing broken lantern pieces in both hands.
The moment Sylvi notices me awake, her entire face brightens.
“Well,” she says, “the terrifying dark elf survives.”
Brohm snorts softly. “Town lost several betting pools this morning.”
Roseth glares at them. “You two are unbelievable.”
Sylvi ignores her completely and drops into the chair beside my bed. “You should hear the stories outside. Half the town thinks you wrestled the resonance storm into submission.”
“I did not.”
Brohm raises one brow. “You sort of did.”
I rub tiredly at my temple while Vi leans forward slightly.
“People are confused,” she says more quietly now. “Some are frightened. Most are grateful.”
Roseth folds her arms. “They should be grateful.”
Vi’s gaze flicks between us before a knowing smile slowly appears. “Oh, this is serious serious.”
“Vi,” Roseth warns.
“No, I almost died yesterday. I deserve gossip.”
Brohm nods solemnly. “Near-death rights.”
Roseth looks moments away from throwing something at both of them. The sight warms me unexpectedly.
Bellmere feels different this morning. Bruised. Exhausted. Yet beneath the damage, life continues moving. People rebuild. They argue. They laugh despite everything.
They survive.
Brohm sets the broken lantern pieces carefully onto a nearby table. “Temple council gathered before sunrise.”
Roseth’s expression darkens slightly. “What happened?”
“Orrick confessed.” she says.
Silence settles heavily across the forge.
