“My, my, how very curious,” she said, more to herself than us. “The both of you! I would not have thought it done, and yet . . .” The frost cleared, and she focused on us again, a smug little smile playing on her lips. “You don’t need my help after all, Natalia,” she said. “You’ve already got the way of it, you clever child. Simply forge onward together, just as you have begun.”
