The journey back to Portside was long and heavy with silence.
Ethan walked at the front of the small group, his eyes fixed on the horizon. The victory at the shadow camp should have felt like a triumph, but something was wrong. The figure he'd defeated had spoken of others—others who would continue the fight, who would finish what the Council of Shadows had started.
"Ethan, you've been quiet for hours," Ava said, walking beside him. "What are you thinking about?"
Ethan was silent for a long moment. Then he said: "The figure I defeated. He said there were others. Others who would try to finish what the Council started."
Ava's face grew pale. "You think there are more of them?"
"I know there are more of them. I can feel it. The shadow's power is still out there, waiting."
"Then we find
