The embers still glowed in Elizabeth Stormborn’s palms when she jolted upright from the dream or rather, the warning. The Hollow Queen’s voice echoed in her mind, cold and ancient.
"I am what was stolen. And I am coming to collect."
Beside her, Lucian stirred. His senses were sharp as ever. “Another dream?” he asked softly, brushing her damp hair back.
Elizabeth’s golden eyes shimmered in the dark. “Not a dream. A summons. She’s waking. The Hollow Queen.”
Lucian didn’t question her. Not after everything they’d faced. “Where?”
“I don’t know. But we need answers. We need the Flame Order’s archives. The true ones the ones buried under Veraxis.”
Lucian was already getting dressed. “Then we ride at first light.”
The journey to the buried Ember Crypt took three days. Their party was small
