Chapter 187: Ch185. The Professor
The forge had settled into one of those rare, rare moments of stillness.
With Mara gone to meet the other guild leaders and the flames burning at a gentle whisper in the brazier, the building seemed to exhale slowly, languidly, peacefully.
Runes pulsed quietly in the floor and walls, a heartbeat in sync with the place’s soul, and that of the woman who had built it. Even without her present, Mara’s Forge felt watched over.
Protected.
Miles stood near the window, his fingers resting lightly against the glass, eyes watching the drifting fog outside. People moved in the streets beyond, players, crafters, couriers, wanderers, but they seemed dim, almost distant.
Like actors on a stage seen from the wings.
Behind him, Sarissa stirred. She hadn’t fallen asleep again, but she had drifted into that space where thought, memory and dream bled into one another. She’d been quiet for the past few minutes since agreeing to meet the Professor, but Miles could tell her mind hadn’t stopped racing.
"You okay?" He didn’t turn around.
Sarissa inhaled slowly.
"I will be." Her voice didn’t tremble like it had earlier. She sounded raw, still fragile, but something had anchored in her again.
Maybe it was her resolve, or not. Whatever it was, it was doing a good job.