Page 194 of The Last Remaining Light

Caelyn.

She found him sitting atop the western sea wall in the dark, only a small lantern beside him.

The spot had not changed in turnings, but they could no longer see the waves below.

Wind tugged at his dark hair while the sounds of the sea rolled endlessly across the water below. She stood there, watching him in the dim light. The sight awakened memories of childhood so vivid that they almost hurt.

Somehow, after everything, he still looked like himself.

He noticed her a moment later, and a smile touched his lips. "You're staring."

Elowynn folded her arms. "You almost followed them into the Ring. I am allowed to stare."

"And yet here I am,” he smirked, arms opening wide.

The answer earned him an unimpressed look, and Caelyn chuckled before he lowered his arms and stepped aside to make room for her.

The stone was cold from the absence of sunlight. As Elowynn eased down onto the wall, his arm slipped around her back, drawing her gently against his side.

They let the comfortable silence stretch between them.

Below, waves crashed unseen against the cliffs.

Above them, the sky remained dark and starless.

"I wonder if they will ever come back." The words escaped before she intended them to.

Caelyn followed her gaze upward. He was quiet for several long breaths.

“I think they will.”

She was grateful for his optimism, but she wasn’t so certain.

Elowynn tilted her head to look at him.

The dark veins remained visible beneath the bronze skin of his throat. They had faded significantly since returning to Lumenshire, though not entirely due to Blackwake. They no longer frightened her. The world’s reaction to them did. Caelyn seemed to understand that better than anyone. Since returning, he had kept his distance.

Caelyn noticed her staring and squeezed her gently in his arm.