The bronze coin burned against Clek's chest.
He stood in the garden, his hand pressed against the coin, feeling its heat seep through his shirt. The green glow from beneath the city pulsed in his mind, a constant reminder of the power that lay sleeping beneath Verenthia's streets. The heart was awake. The darkness was coming. And he was the only one who could protect it.
Aria's presence flickered in his mind, soft and concerned. "Clek. The coin is burning. What's happening?"
"The heart," he said, his voice flat. "It's calling to me. It wants me to come to it."
"Then go," Aria said. "Find out what it wants."
Clek nodded slowly, his eyes fixed on the horizon. "I will."
---
The journey through the tunnels was different this time. The darkness that had once pressed against Clek's mind w
