On the far side of the castle, in an area that had become much busier since the arrival of Nyrielle's army, Ashlynn made her way through the crowds of people toward the guest chambers where Artificer Erkembalt and the sorcerer Aspakos had taken Hauke as they continued to study the curse that bound him.
Two days ago, they had sent word that they'd made significant progress, but they needed the help of a witch's Severing Knife if they were going to make any more progress. Any other time, Ashlynn would have rushed immediately to Hauke's side, but at the moment, she had to prioritize Virve's transformation and the transfer of her seed of witchcraft.
Even now, Ashlynn felt guilty for asking Talauia to watch over her newest witch as she underwent her transformation beneath the branches of the Ancient Oak. She wanted to be there for Ollie, she wanted to be there for Virve, but there were only so many places she could be at once, and right now… right now it was Hauke's turn.
