The air shuddered as the harbingers stepped into the clearing.
Twelve of them.
Tall. Twisted. Hulking silhouettes cloaked in stitched-together bone and darkened fur. Their eyes gleamed like molten tar—black and silver spirals that refused to reflect light, only swallow it. Their forms shifted unnaturally with every step—half-wolf, half-something else. Warped by the Veil. Fed by the Sovereign.
Jace stepped forward instinctively, shielding Quinn and Rowan with his body.
Quinn rose behind him, his heart hammering against his ribs, Rowan cradled protectively in his arms. The boy trembled but didn’t cry. His golden gaze remained locked on the harbingers—as if recognizing them. Or worse… remembering them.
Kaelen’s form surged beside them. Not monstrous, not Echo Unbound—but still formidable
