Chapter 12
Morning light filtered through the vines covering the stone structure. I woke to the sound of quiet movement and found Kael already awake, standing near the entrance with his back to me. Lila was still asleep in the corner, curled under one of the old blankets we had found.
Kael turned when he heard me sit up. The cut on his arm had closed overnight, though a faint scar remained. The bond between us hummed the moment our eyes met, carrying the leftover heat from the night before.
“Sera is waiting outside,” he said. “She wants to speak with you.”
I stood and brushed dust from my clothes. “Only me?”
“She said the land responded to your blood. That makes you the one it will test first.”
We stepped out into the clearing together. Sera stood near the center, hands folded in fro
