Chapter 45 All Our Strength

• *Maerilee*
• The sun shines down brightly on us as we press forward, the air thick with the promise of something monumental just ahead. My chest feels heavy, not from the climb or the journey, but from the weight of everything riding on us reaching Bright Waters. Time feels like a noose tightening around my neck, pulling tighter with every passing moment. This journey has already taken much longer than I’d ever anticipated. If we don’t get back to Altinna soon, I fear what we’ll find when we return.
• Brook walks by my side, quiet but focused. Recently, I’ve come to rely on his calm, steady presence, in his new sense of confidence and authority. And now, my heart swells with the love I have for him, something I did not expect at all. It took me by surprise, knocking the wind out of me, but it makes trusting him, relying on him, that much easier.