The wheel was still there when I woke.
I hadn't expected it to move. I had spent enough of the night imagining it beyond my reach to resent it for doing nothing.
Liora sat at the entrance with Nyx. The lamp beside them burned low. Beyond the bend, the Regent dragged a damaged foot across stone, stopped and began the movement again.
"Morning," Nyx said.
"A generous description."
She showed me the watch record. Sixth day of the seventh month. Enough rest had passed to make trying another useful action possible, though my body had made no attempt to confuse possibility with comfort.
Seraphina checked the dressing before I stood. The fresh wound beneath my ribs had remained closed. My left fingers moved more reliably. The old core damage remained as familiar as the wall against my back.
"No sword work before the crossing," she said. "If you reach the shelf, sit before touching the mechanism."
"If."
"Yes."
She met my eyes until I stopped looking for a softer version.
