Leah Carter’s Point of View
The Oracle’s words still burned through me long after her body fell limp against the stone floor.
“She carries a key… but not one you can see.”
Emma whimpered in my arms, clinging to me as though she’d heard every terrible syllable. Caleb stood pale and silent, his hand gripping the wall for support, his breath ragged. Kael crouched beside the Oracle, but she gave no further sign of life. The strange fire that had once leapt in her hearth was nothing now but ash.
“This changes everything,” Kael had said.
He was right. My daughter wasn’t just caught in this war, she was its fulcrum.
We left the cavern in silence. Emma pressed her face against my neck, exhausted, and I carried her despite the ache in my arms. Caleb shuffled beside me, his steps uneven, sweat
