Selene’s POV
The northern ridge was quiet.
No birds.
No wind.
Just mist curling between the rocks like breath being held.
I stood at the edge with Kade and Lira at my side. The scout who had brought the message waited behind us, too afraid to follow.
“She’s down there,” the scout whispered, “at the base of the cliff. Just standing there.”
I nodded once.
Then descended.
My boots crunched against frost as I moved down the narrow path. Every step tightened something in my chest I hadn’t felt in days—dread. I had ended the Spiral. I had buried the final seal.
So how was she here?
Whoever she was.
Whatever she was.
She stood with her back to me.
Cloaked in dark gray, her hair loose and tangled.
She was barefoot.
No tracks behind her. No scent.
As though she’d stepped out of the
