Chapter 16 Soft Touches and a Long-Held Truth

The days in the mine continued their slow, arduous crawl. A fragile camaraderie had begun to form between the unlikely quartet, born of shared hardship and the constant need for survival. Even Kaelen's pronouncements of doom had softened slightly, replaced by a grudging respect for Elara's unwavering care for Goldie. Seraphina, with her sharp wit a