Chapter 15
The sanctuary was far too quiet.
No more howling winds. No more flurries of snow.
Just stillness.
The kind that always comes before a storm.
Elira Faces the Blade
The forbidden blade lay on the ritual stone, half-wrapped in velvet, its fractured edge glowing faintly beneath the cloth. Elira stood before it, her new rune humming in protest.
Kael stood a few steps back, tension carved into every line of his face.
“You don’t have to do this,” he said quietly.
Elira didn’t answer.
Because she already had.
She reached forward, slowly letting her fingers hover above the hilt. The air rippled, resistant. She clenched her jaw and forced her palm downward.
The blade bit back.
A spike of agony shot through her body. Her knees buckled. Visions flooded her mind.
A burning bat
