The familiar grandeur greeted her immediately, soaring ceilings inlaid with constellation patterns that shifted slowly overhight, walls lined with tapestries depicting the histories of the five founding factions, the ever-present hum of ambient magic that saturated the very air of the Court.
And standing there, waiting for them, was Raphael.
But he wasn't alone.
Beside him, her face breaking into a brilliant smile the moment she saw them step through the portal, was Elena.
"Elena," Eve breathed, surprise and genuine joy washing through her.
Elena rushed forward, and Eve barely had time to brace herself before the other woman wrapped her in a tight hug.
"I wasn't sure I'd get to see you," Elena said, pulling back but keeping her hands on Eve's shoulders, looking at her like she was reassuring herself that Eve was really there. "Raphael told me you were coming, and I made him promise to let me be here when you arrived."
