The first thing I felt was the cold. Not the natural, freezing bite of the mountain air, but a heavy, unnatural chill that seemed to seep directly into my bones, suppressing the wild, golden fire of my gift.
I opened my eyes and was met with darkness.
I was lying on a hard, damp stone floor. My wrists and ankles were heavy, bound by thick shackles that burned with a faint, blue electric light. Silver-infused iron. The metallic poison was itching against my skin, creating a barrier that locked my Seeker’s Gaze behind a wall of static.
Memory came rushing back in a violent, nauseating wave. The Hall of Judgments. Silas being forced to his knees by a net of silver chains. Kael running with me in the snow. And then... Kaelen.
My breath hitched. Kaelen had intercepted us. Kael had been woun
