Noah's breathing was shallow.
Sera held him close in the snowlit ruin of the summit, her hands stained with his blood. Around them, the wind had gone eerily still.
Rowan arrived first with Mira. “He's poisoned," Rowan said, kneeling. “The runes Severin used—they're laced with lunar venom. It's eating him from the inside."
Sera's voice cracked. “Then fix it."
Mira shook her head. “Not with herbs. Not with time."
Sera stood, chest rising with each breath. “The Moon Goddess's Tear."
Rowan's eyes widened. “That's myth."
“No," Sera said. “It's a binding drop of divine water, summoned only once... by a blood-heir with a voice freely chosen."
“You've already used your power," Mira warned.
“I'll use more."
Sera turned and climbed the broken stairwell to the highest observatory—where moon
