I didn't sleep.
Not because I couldn’t.
Because the fire wouldn’t let me.
It crawled beneath my skin like molten silver, coiling low in my belly—deeper than the twins, deeper than the bond. Something old was awake. Something wild. And it didn’t care about the Council’s laws or Kael’s growls or my fear.
It only whispered one word.
Rise.
By the time dawn cracked over the mountain, the Council had already moved to the stone altar near the eastern ridge—a place of ancient neutrality. A place built for judgment.
Kael stood next to me, not saying a word and looking straight ahead. He had black leather over his hands and a sword at his hip, but he couldn't pull it out.
Mirea waited in the center of the altar, flanked by her two advisors and a circle of enforcers. The bone basin sat at he
