Aveline returned to her room and fell asleep almost the moment her head touched the pillow. For the first time in days, her dreams were quiet.
Theron, too, retired for the night. As he closed his eyes, he allowed himself a rare sense of satisfaction. The trap had been laid. Soon, the cotton would reach the people before winter stole any more lives.
Elsewhere within the Arcanum, Aelion drifted to sleep with a small smile lingering on his face. Though the rebels had lost possession of the cotton, he believed they had not lost their purpose.
Not everyone found rest.
King Kevran lay awake, turning from one side to the other as unease gnawed at him. He could not shake the image of that impossible floating landmass disappearing into the dawn and the reckless confidence his son had found. Something was changing within his kingdom, and for the first time in many years, it was happening beyond his control.
