Kaelin awoke drenched in sweat.
The dream had been too vivid—too real.
A gate of obsidian, towering and veined with molten fire. A chained creature writhing beyond it, eyes like twin eclipses, staring straight at her as if it knew her. As if it had been waiting.
She sat up, gasping, her mark throbbing on her palm. Across the bed, Theron stirred and reached for her, his touch steady and grounding.
“It was the gate again, wasn’t it?” he said.
She nodded. “It’s awake. Whatever it is.”
They both knew what that meant. The bond between them was complete. The prophecy had shifted.
But what they didn’t yet understand was who—or what—lay beyond that gate.
---
The war council met before sunrise. This time, Kaelin didn’t hesitate to take her place at the head of the table beside Theron. No l
