The air was beginning to cool as I left the stable area, feeling the weight of physical exhaustion mixed with a cold satisfaction.
The silence of the rustic pavilion was left behind, replaced by the sound of my own footsteps on the fine gravel that led to the academy's central courtyard.
Lila followed a few steps behind, maintaining the protocol distance of a servant, but the Sensory Bond still vibrated between us like an electric wire.
I could feel the residual tremor in her legs and the devoted confusion in her mind.
She was marked, not just physically, but in her own consciousness.
As I approached the main courtyard, I noticed that the Bartfort carriage was still there, but the movement around it indicated that the visit was coming to an end.
Director Valerius and my mother, Baroness Elara, were leaving the administrative building.
They walked side by side, an image of elegance and power that seemed rehearsed for decades.
