The moment Elysia's body went slack, the world around her erupted.
Chairs screeched. Silverware clattered to the floor. Voices overlapped, echoing too loud and too close.
She didn't faint, not really but her vision swam, the room spinning in waves of blurred light. She heard Malvoria's voice first, sharp and trembling. A hand on her face. Warm. Anchoring.
"Elysia. Look at me. Stay with me."
"I'm here," Elysia murmured, though her voice barely broke through the storm. Her stomach pulsed tight, pressure building. A weight that was… wrong. Or too much. Or—
"Faelira!" Malvoria barked, her voice almost feral now. "Where is she?!"
"I'm coming!" The familiar voice of the elven healer rang down the corridor, and within seconds, Faelira burst into the dining hall with her robes slightly askew and her bag half-open, like she'd sprinted the whole way.
Veylira was already by Elysia's other side, cool and controlled as always, but even she looked rattled.
