Glow

Now that Auren has returned to consciousness, she is overcome with guilt at the death and destruction that her gold-touch wrought. Even more, she is afraid that she has lost control of her fae power entirely. Even though Slade urges her to recall everything that happened at Ranhold Castle, Auren shuts down, unready to face her past trauma.

Slade’s younger brother, Ryatt, arrives with a bag of food. To avoid the questions of everyone else at the Grotto, Auren volunteers to cook dinner, even though she has no culinary skills at all. Although the group tries to choke down the unpalatable meal, Auren admits her shortcomings, and they all treat the matter as a joke. She feels temporarily relieved that the mood has been lightened.

The next day, Slade presses Auren again to talk about what happened, but she demands to get a tour of the cave to distract him. Auren is fascinated by the luminescent blue light emanating from veins in the rock walls and by the house that’s built entirely within its depths. Slade grows impatient and insists on talking.