SOREN
She walked away like fire given form—her robes trailing behind her, crimson bleeding into shadow, every step deliberate and final. I stayed on the bench long after she'd disappeared through the archway, frozen in the space she'd just occupied, my chest doing something strange and uncomfortable.
The garden felt warmer now.
Not from the braziers lining the path, or the summer heat that clung to Solmire like a second skin. This was different. This came from her... from the way her presence had saturated the air until even the stones seemed to hum with it.
I exhaled slowly, and the breath came out unsteady.
Her perfume lingered. Something dark and sweet, like burning amber mixed with night-blooming jasmine. It wrapped around me, invasive and intoxicating, curling into my lungs until I couldn't tell if I was breathing her in or if she'd simply branded herself into my senses.
I leaned back against the bench, letting my head tip toward the sky.
