I should have laughed. I should have sneered, torn her apart with words or claws, crushed the girl before she dared speak, before she dared step into my den with that insolent fire in her silver eyes. I should have walked away, left her to the shadows where she belonged. But now… now the circle held me in its icy grip, unyielding, and unrelenting. The Moon Goddess herself pressed down on me, invisible yet undeniable, every inch of my body screaming with the pressure.
My legs wobbled as though the earth itself had turned traitor beneath me. The sacred flames surrounding us flickered violently, bending and curling like living things, licking at my skin without burning, searing truth into my mind. Their silver light shone in uneven pulses, reflecting in my eyes and in the wide, accusing gaze
