Selina’s POV
The diamond walls of the vault captured the light, bouncing the low magnesium-blue glow of my fingers across the pristine white stone of the triangular altar. At the centre of the chamber, the gold ember of the Phoenix core pulsed with a slow, heavy rhythm that mirrored the slow rotation of the moon above. It felt ancient, untouched by the soot of Oakhaven, yet the silence of the vault was already fraying.
A sharp, metallic clink echoed from the high iron vents lining the ceiling.
"They're coming through the ventilation shafts," Finn rasped, his golden hybrid form moving instantly into the shadow of the western wall. He gripped his iron poker with a white-knuckled intensity, his amber eyes locked onto the narrow grates thirty feet above. "The silver-barding on their armour
