"Finish what he started," Gad repeated slowly. "It's talking about the severing. It wants you to help complete something the ritual left unfinished."
"That's my read on it too," Mira said, though her voice sounded with more fear now that the words had been spoken aloud in front of the full council. "I didn't know how to say it without making everyone panic. I'm sorry."
"You don't apologize for that," Doran said firmly. "Not to any of us."
Bellan had gone very still, his mind clearly working through the implication with so much focus. "That confirms something I've suspected since Halden's report. The entity isn't simply spreading randomly, testing for weaknesses. It's specifically targeting anyone connected to the ritual that severed it. Gad through the farmhand's message. You, through t
