“Millie’s coming with me. I tried to win over Osan, but—”

“What?”

“But he said he would stay in Ceyrun for now. Old loyalties die hard, apparently.”

Her eyes narrowed. “And yet, he did not see fit to tell me any of this.”

“He’s good at keeping secrets.”

Rhyanon gestured irritation, but she was struggling not to smile.

“When are you leaving?” she asked.

“The first of the expedition teams is departing this afternoon. The trial ended just in time.”

“Then this is your goodbye.”

“For a little while.”

She nodded, thoughtful, and we drifted into an easy silence. In the distance, the bells rang out. Some things changed, others stayed the same. The breeze tousled my hair.

“Have you had any more visions?” asked Rhyanon. “Since … since then?”

I shook my head. She knew about my experience in the temple; I had told her most of what had happened. But it remained a difficult subject. I watched Jaylen carefully water her bulbs.

“Does that mean she’s gone?” Rhyanon’s voice dropped. “Even after all that ‘debt of blood’ stuff, she let you go?”

I was silent.

“Elfreda?”

“She’s no longer with me,” I said, relenting. “I don’t know where she’s gone, or if she’ll return. But I think she extracted a small price.”

Rhyanon made a gentle gesture of enquiry.

“I haven’t menstruated since the temple.”

Her face fell.

“It’s not the worst thing that could have happened,” I added hurriedly. “It’s nothing, really, all things considered. Three months ago, I would have considered it a gift.”

“Could you be pregnant?”

I felt my cheeks flush. “I mean, I did consider that too.”

“And?”

“It’s not … impossible. But unlikely.”

Rhyanon wavered, then sidled across the bench and put an arm around my shoulder. The gesture surprised me, and I smiled.

“It’s fine,” I said. “Either way.”

Her dark brown eyes stayed serious. “Are you sure?”

“Yes.” I leaned into her hug. “Don’t worry so much.”

She went quiet for a moment. Her skin was sun-warmed against mine, and her hair smelled like lavender. I was going to miss her, I realised. I would miss this—the quiet, peaceful afternoons in the shade. As if sensing my thoughts, her grip around my arm tightened.

“When you return, you know you’ll always have a home with us, right?” she whispered.

I looked down, a little embarrassed. “You might want to ask the Commander first.”

She drew back, giving me a small, playful shove.

“Saskia will be fine with it.” Her eyes glinted. “Besides, you’ve seriously misinterpreted who’s in charge in our relationship.”

I blinked, then her words sank in and I burst out laughing. Rhyanon smiled at me fondly.

“Make sure you’re careful out there,” she said. “Come back safe.”