Snowflakes whispered across the air as Kaelin’s party descended the Frostspire range, leaving behind the ruins of the second seal. The villagers they rescued rode in the rear of the formation, many still weak from their unnatural trance but alive—free of the gods’ grasp, for now.
But victory brought no relief. With two seals broken, the gods’ presence pulsed more strongly in the world. Kaelin could feel it in the ground beneath her feet, hear it in the wind’s mournful howls. Every breath of cold air seemed heavier, as if the world itself carried the weight of something ancient and monstrous beginning to stir.
"We bought ourselves time," Theron said softly beside her as they rode. "But it won’t last."
Kaelin’s hand instinctively brushed over her belly, where their child grew. "We don’t n
