Chapter 134: [134] Hello, Ashley
Efler reached the top of the tower, her boots scuffing against splintered planks. The crossbow across her back caught starlight along its steel reinforcements.
"The view," she said, settling against the tower’s railing with her back to the fire below. "Though I’ve never seen stars arranged quite like this."
Xavier studied her profile in the strange light. The constellation overhead cast everything in silver and blue, softening the sharp angles of her face.
Each word she spoke was accompanied by a ghost of white vapor, a fleeting cloud that dissipated in the biting wind.
"Different from home?" he asked.
"Very." Efler’s voice carried an odd note, almost wistful. "Sometimes I dream about other stars. Familiar patterns. But when I wake up, I can never quite remember what they looked like."
She pulled her cloak tighter, the fur-lined edges rustling against the wooden rail. Her hands, Xavier noticed, bore the calluses of someone who’d spent years with weapons, but also softer marks—the kind that came from writing, from delicate work.
"Dreams have teeth in a place like this," Xavier said, his voice low. "They chew on what’s real."
"Do you dream about your home?" The question came quietly, as if she wasn’t sure she should ask it.
He held her gaze, a hundred different answers dying on his lips. Her posture was a fortress—shoulders squared, chin high, a stillness learned by someone who knew they were constantly being watched. A queen in exile, even if she didn’t know it.
"Sometimes. Usually about people I’ve left behind." He shifted his weight, the tower creaking beneath them. "What about you? Anyone waiting for your return?"
Efler was quiet for a long moment. When she spoke, her voice had gone distant. "I thought I knew. But lately, everything feels... unclear. Like I’m remembering someone else’s life."