Planning the next step...
The next few days passed in a blur of activity as Adrian and Medea helped the village of Brenden rebuild and recover.
The damage left by the Shadow Court had taken its toll on the village's infrastructure, but the people were resilient, throwing themselves into the work with renewed purpose.
The knowledge that they were free, for now at least, gave them hope, and with Adrian's guidance, the village began to stabilize.
Ava, as expected, had been less enthusiastic about the manual labor. Instead, she busied herself with something more aligned to her talents—finding anything of value.
She scoured the village, going through old shops, storerooms, and even homes, her sharp eyes always on the lookout for treasures that the Shadow Court might have overlooked.
One afternoon, as Adrian was overseeing the repair of a village gate, Ava approached him, her expression one of mild frustration.