POV: Nixie
The clearing felt too small.
Too exposed.
Too loud.
Every instinct screamed that we stood at the center of something ancient and terrible, like prey frozen under a predator’s shadow. The newcomers didn’t rush us; they didn’t need to. Their confidence pressed in from all sides, heavy and suffocating.
The man who had spoken, who recognized me, tilted his head slightly, studying me as if I were a puzzle he had long awaited.
“You feel it now, don’t you?” he said. “The pull.”
I tightened my grip on Lyall’s hand. “I don’t know what you mean.”
He smiled, slow and knowing. “You will.”
The High Elder regained his footing, rage burning through the calm mask he usually wore. “You have violated neutral ground,” he barked. “State your allegiance or be struck down.”
The man
