Wren closed her eyes, imagining a city washed in golden sunlight. “A paradise, then.”

“Hardly. Your government is far more liberal in affording rights and positions of power to those without magic.” He paused. “There’s corruption in the government. War hawks and religious fundamentalists keep the populace in fear. For any hope of change, I’ll have to burn it down.”

“You’re going to make a lot of enemies.” Wren threaded her fingers into his again and squeezed.

“I already have a lot of enemies,” he said wearily. “It will be a long and gradual process. Someday, I hope you can see it.”

She did, too. A small, new part of her longed to help him make it better. But all she said was, “I know I will someday.”

As the silence settled, Wren turned toward him and placed her hand on his chest. Silver light veiled her palm as she swept his system for any lingering damage. Anything that remained, however, was beyond her power. The last of his sickness had cleared, and his injuries were the kind she could not see and could not reach, the ones he kept locked away. If only the Healing Touch could go deeper than bone.

The magic faded from her hand, and the bond between them sizzled. It grew fainter each day now that his body had healed itself enough to push her energy out.

In the stillness, Wren thought of tomorrow. If she could not fix what her people had done to him and she could not fight alongside him, then maybe she could do something else.

“Hal?” When he looked up, she wrung her hands together. “Will you let me finish healing your eyes? In case something happens tomorrow, I want to make sure you can protect yourself.”

He hesitated. “Don’t exhaust yourself for my sake.”

Wren knew this would be close to the end of what her ravaged fola could endure. Although she’d used her magic sparingly since she’d returned to Danu, three days was hardly enough time to recover completely from the strain she’d put on her system in Colwick Hall. But right now, she couldn’t bring herself to worry. “I’ll be fine.”

“It seems we both have a talent for minimizing things.”

Wren laughed, startling herself. “I suppose we do. Make yourself comfortable.”