(Liora POV)
The labor began just after midnight, when the fortress was wrapped in the deep quiet of winter.
I had been sleeping lightly in the healer's quarters when the bond flared — Nova's silver light reaching out in a sharp, urgent pulse. I was on my feet before the knock even came at my door. Elias stood there, breathing hard, eyes wide with the mixture of worry and excitement only those closest to the family could feel.
"It's time," he said.
I grabbed my bag — already packed with fresh herbs, silverleaf honey, clean linens, and the storm-sage from Kieran's last visit — and followed him up the east tower stairs at a run.
