The air at the river's edge hummed with a tension twenty years in the making. Rhys stood near the Lunar Well, his skin radiating a terrifying, rhythmic heat that caused the mist to curl away from him in fear. The golden light behind his soft brown eyes was no longer a flicker; it was a conflagration, threatening to shatter his human frame before he could even face the upcoming battle.
Kaelen, Lena, and Elena moved through the underbrush, making a circle around Rhys and Lyra. "We have no time to waste, Cassian's seers have picked up the scent of the quickening," Lena said, her voice low as she scanned the ridge. Kaelan stepped toward Rhys, his eyes lingering on the boy he raised. The time had come for all to be revealed. Kaelen's eyes glistened with unshed tears. It was a bittersweet momen
