( Kael's POV )
The world tilted sideways.
Kael’s skull rang like a struck bell as he forced his eyes open. Cold air scraped down his throat, thick with fog and magic. The clearing spun slowly, shadows bending like water, the ancient stones humming with a rhythm that made his bones ache. Somewhere above, the moon bled through the mist like a dying lantern.
And in the center of it all, Aria.
She hung suspended a few feet above the cracked ground, her body limp but her eyes wide open. Light poured from the runes carved across her skin, rivers of silver fire snaking outward, filling the stone circle with a glow that pulsed in time with her heartbeat.
Kael tried to move. His body screamed in protest. Something in his ribs felt broken, but pain was a distant second to the panic flooding th
