Sleep claimed Ariana with a swiftness that felt unnatural, as though an unseen hand had pushed her into the depths. One heartbeat she was lying in her bed, Kael’s scent still lingering faintly on her skin after training, and the next she was standing in a place that could not exist.
A silver meadow stretched endlessly in every direction, grass shimmering like moonlight caught in dew. Above, the sky was a deep, velvet indigo, scattered with stars so bright they pulsed like living things. The air was cool, weightless, and every sound was hushed except for the faint rustle of the grass under her bare feet.
Then she saw her.
A woman stood at the crest of a gentle rise, long silver hair flowing like liquid light down her back. She wore a gown spun from starlight, every thread glowing faintly
