Chapter 99: Armor of Roses

• The time had passed so quickly since she’d declared her intentions and she had focused on learning every skill Nicole was giving her. Wielding daggers, swords, and her magic together with ease. Her magic was slower than the physical weapons, but she learned to use it to Nicole's satisfaction. Daphne looked at herself in the mirror. She looked familiar and vastly different than she had the last time she’d seen her reflection. There was a coldness in her eyes that hadn’t been there before.
• The dream of the glowing wolf in the darkness had changed since the first time she’d had it. He grew more solid. His scent seemed more familiar. His presence was comforting and easing the guilt and agony of having lost her child, but she still didn’t know who the wolf was. She didn’t even know what the origin of the flickering red light was. It was fading with each passing night and the wolf was strange. He sat with her, curling around her protectively.
• Sometimes, she would hear voices in her dreams, little flickers of memories she couldn’t make full sense of before they winked out into the darkness. Some of them brought terror, others brought joy, but the wolf remained by her side, shielding her from the worst of them.