Mabella's POV "You don't have to be here," Vida told me at five in the morning, not looking up from the patient she was attending, her voice carrying that specific warmth that had replaced the careful assessment a long time ago. The healer's hall was quiet except for the low crackle of a lantern and the faint rustle of supplies on the shelves. Pre-dawn light was just starting to creep through the high windows, soft and gray."I know," I said, rolling up my sleeves and washing my hands in the basin. The water was cool against my skin, grounding in a way the coronation rehearsals never were. Four days. The number kept echoing in my head like a drum I couldn't quite silence."You have a coronation in four days," Vida told me, still focused on mixing a compound with steady hands."I know," I said again, drying my hands on a clean cloth."Elder Bowen has requested three rehearsal sessions today," she continued, glancing at me now with that healer look that saw too much."I know," I said,
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