The Hollow Court’s ruler didn’t just resist the Flame—he devoured it.
Where my fire had once scorched armies and shattered magic, now it curled around him like a pet, drawn into the black crystal embedded in his crown. The moment it vanished, so did the illusion of victory. He hadn’t come to fight.
He had come to feed.
“No,” I whispered, stumbling back as my body trembled with the cold of stolen power. “That’s not possible.”
Mira grabbed my arm, her eyes wide with horror. “He’s a siphon.”
Selene’s blades were out, but even she hesitated. “A siphon like—like you, Mira?”
Mira didn’t respond.
Not at first.
Then, slowly, she turned to me. “He’s not just a siphon, he’s the first. The source. The reason I have this power at all. My magic… it’s from him.”
A beat of silence passed. Then a
