Daybreak came sluggishly, a dull gray wash that bled into the upper branches without bringing any real light.
Rhea opened her eyes to the cold. She hadn't slept—not in any way that offered rest. Every time her mind drifted, the vision pulled her right back to the stone slab.
She saw her mother not as she remembered her in the sunlit kitchen of their childhood home but standing in a torrent of silver light, her eyes solemn, her voice carrying the cold weight of an impending choice.
Only one road will remember your name.
She sat up without making a sound, pulling her wet cloak tight around her neck to keep from shivering.
A few paces away, Lucci was leaning back against a pine, his arms folded across his chest,. His eyes were closed, but his jaw was set. He wasn't asleep either. He
