CHAPTER 64 — JOURNEY TO THE DEAD ZONE
Third-POV
The path into Lunaris Vale wasn’t a path at all. It was a fractured ribbon of stone and ash, twisting unnaturally through a landscape that seemed to reject life. The air shimmered in ripples, like reality itself had melted under some unseen heat.
Gabriella led the way, her pulse tethered to Ava’s presence, every step a careful negotiation with the land. The mark on her spine throbbed, a dull heat that prickled every nerve ending. She could feel the Devourer’s gaze somewhere far ahead, locked onto her like a predator.
Tristan rode close, eyes scanning the warped horizon. “Stay alert. The Vale doesn’t obey normal laws of gravity or logic. Watch the skies, watch the ground. And watch each other.”
Rhael moved slightly behind her, still up
