I met her eyes steadily. "I know. That's why I want both of you with me. Not just for your strength… but because I trust you more than most of the clan elders they might have sent."
Lydia paused in her packing, a soft smile touching her lips. She stepped closer and adjusted the collar of my tunic with careful fingers, her touch lingering. "We'll follow you anywhere, Young Master."
The three of us worked side by side after that. Lydia organized supplies with meticulous care. Vale inscribed a few extra protective charms onto small discs and handed them to me silently. I reviewed maps of Valthor and the last known readings of the gate's expansion. The atmosphere was focused, almost domestic in its quiet coordination.
