Chapter 15: The Unspoken Challenge

Sunstone’s hospitality was as impeccable as it was disorienting. Emilia was given a suite of rooms that opened onto a private garden, the air sweet with the scent of night-blooming flowers. A silent, efficient healer re-dressed her ankle with skilled hands, the pain subsiding to a dull throb. A bath was drawn, and clean, finely woven clothes were laid out for her. It was a world away from the dusty cabin and the damp cave, a deliberate showcase of Theron’s power and refinement. That evening, a dinner was held not in a grand hall, but on the terrace of Theron’s personal quarters. The table was set for three. The meal was a delicate affair of spiced meats, fresh bread, and sweet wine, a stark contrast to the raw game of the wilderness. Theron presided over it all with an easy charm, his attention a focused beam that rarely strayed from Emilia. “Strength is not merely in the muscle, but in the will to use it wisely,” Theron said, responding to a point Emilia had