Kora’s POV
The next morning, I woke to the sound of wind howling like a living thing. The Ember Plains stretched endlessly before us, glowing faintly beneath a haze of heat. The sky was a bruised orange, the air shimmering with waves of firelight. The others were already stirring, their faces pale with exhaustion and fear.
The ground beneath my sleeping mat pulsed with a faint red glow, warm like a heartbeat. For a second, I thought it was a dream again — that voice, that woman, the fire calling my name. But when I pressed my palm against the earth, I felt it respond.
Alive. Watching. Waiting.
Edward was already up, speaking quietly with Seraphine near the edge of camp. He looked rested — too rested — considering what we’d been through. When his eyes found mine, the bond thrummed softl
