POV: Ayla / Caius / Ryker / Zane

The public record is sealed. The hall is empty. The banners have been taken down for the night.

We end up in the east sitting room again, the one without maps, because none of us are ready to pretend the formal ceremony finished the private part of the work. The bond is quiet and full. Ryker sits with the care his side still requires. Caius has set aside the last of the formal transfer sheets. Zane has turned off every device that could pull him back into a regional desk. I close the door and lean against it for a moment before...