*Greenwood — Guest Quarters, Midnight*
It was already nighttime. Everyone had retired for the night making Greenwood silent.
The stillness was broken only by the distant cry of an owl.
Inside, Crystal’s body was restless.
Aelira stirred violently beneath her skin, clawing at her dreams until they changed into visions.
One moment she was curled beneath Ryder’s arm, his warmth anchoring her to the present.
The next, she was pulled into fire and smoke, a world half made of memory and half made of something that didn’t belong to her alone.
Aelira’s voice rose, sharp and clear in her mind. Come, Flame.
Crystal turned, and she was no longer in Greenwood. She stood in a wide clearing, though the earth was blackened and scorched, trees burned to husks.
The air smelled of smoke. Her bare
