Morning came quietly.
Too quietly.
The rain had stopped sometime before dawn, leaving Beaumont wrapped in a heavy mist that clung to rooftops and drifted through the streets like restless spirits.
I hadn't slept.
Every time I closed my eyes, I saw silver eyes watching me from the edge of the forest.
I heard Elyra's voice.
The daughter of Talia has awakened.
Then another memory followed.
You were hidden.
Not protected.
Hidden.
The difference had become impossible to ignore.
I stared at the ceiling above my bed, tracing the cracks in the old wooden beams.
The wooden box rested beside me.
Closed once more.
The pendant lay against my heart beneath my shirt.
I hadn't taken it off.
I wasn't sure I could.
It felt...
Right.
Like it belonged there.
Or maybe...
Like I belonged
