Later that day, after passing judgment on Avarine with her mother present, Ragnar went directly to Circe's chambers.
He did not pause upon finding Morana already inside the room.
The moment the doors opened, his gaze swept across the chamber and landed briefly on the woman standing beside the bed, but he continued forward without breaking stride. He barely acknowledged Morana's presence as he crossed the room and sat down on one of the empty chairs available.
He said nothing to her, a fact that didn't go unnoticed by Circe. Her eyes bounced between mother and son as if she expected something explosive to occur. But nothing of that sort happened. The two just pretended like the other didn't exist.
The silence that followed was uncomfortable and stifling.
