For several long seconds, nobody spoke.
The storm had begun to weaken, but the silence left behind felt heavier than the thunder ever had.
The ridge stretched beneath a blanket of rain-soaked darkness, the trees below swaying under restless winds while water trickled down rocky slopes and disappeared into the valley. The place where Malakar had stood remained empty now.
Empty...
But not forgotten.
Nyra could still feel him.
Not physically.
Not in the way she sensed wolves moving through the forest.
This was different.
The memory of his presence lingered like a scar beneath her skin.
The voice inside her mind echoed with terrifying clarity.
You've grown faster than your father.
The words refused to leave.
They settled somewhere deep and uncomfortable, turning over and over insi
