GIRL'S POV
Spending time in Ashteryn's workshop had quickly become my favorite part of the day.
Today, I mostly watched him work: pulling glowing metal from the furnace, hammering it with precise, rhythmic strikes, shaping it into something new with every blow. I sat on the same worn stool as always, hands wrapped around a large mug of hot chocolate he made just for me. Apparently, I have a sweet tooth. His words, not mine.
That’s another reason I liked being here. I learned things. A lot of things. Ashteryn answered even my strangest or simplest questions without ever making me feel foolish. He taught me new words too, words he said were important for me to know, especially if I wanted to understand this world better.
He’d run out of ideas for my bracelet days ago. He said he needed t
