The Lunar Forest did not exist on any map. It was a pocket of the old world, a sanctuary blessed by the Moon Goddess, where those who knew of it were able to come to seek refuge and to rest. As Rhys, Lyra, Elena, Kaelen, and Lena crossed the threshold, the pursuit of the Shadow-Stalkers vanished, blocked by an invisible, shimmering ward.
As they approached the center of the grove, the air shimmered. A woman of ethereal beauty emerged from the moonlight itself. Her hair was a waterfall of starlight, and her eyes held the phases of the moon. "Selene," whispered Elena, as she fell to her knees. The Goddess did not speak with her voice, but with the resonance of the tides. "The Void has birthed its champion," shewarned, her gaze falling on Rhys and Lyra. "Morpheus comes, his is a hunger that
