Chapter 69 The Healer's Secret

• The faint crackle of the fire filled the silence between them, its warmth flickering across their faces. Outside, the world lay buried under a restless snowstorm. Inside, Lucy and Daren sat across the small wooden table, their shadows steady against the wall.
• For the first time since she accepted his Oath, Lucy felt the stillness of the moment settle in — fragile yet grounding. Daren hadn’t said much since the mark appeared on their wrists. The same sigil, burned into their skin in silent fire, pulsed faintly beneath the bandages they wrapped around it.
• She broke the quiet first.