The sun had long dipped beneath the horizon, and the faintest touch of moonlight slipped into the ward from the high windows.
Noah sat on his bed, the plate from dinner pushed to the side of the table, its faint scent of broth still in the air.
His strength was returning, slowly but surely. The trembling in his fingers had lessened, and though his muscles still ached from disuse, his body no longer felt like it was on the edge of collapse.
He leaned back against the headboard, staring into the shadows that pooled in the corners of the room, listening to their hushed whispers, until the creak of the door broke his focus.
Professor Cecilia stepped in, her golden eyes catching the light like fire in the dim ward.
She carried none of her usual strictness in her face this time, only a softness, the look of someone burdened with too many worries. She closed the door behind her and walked to his bedside, pulling the chair close before sitting down.
