"Nash is broken," Tabitha declared, stepping straight into the cave without a trace of fear. "He found Chloe. He found his daughter. He's sitting on the southern ridge like a beaten dog, weeping for her forgiveness."
Fernando’s eyes narrowed sharply. "The Heir is alive... and the child is six years old?"
"Yes," Tabitha snarled, her fingers digging into the fabric of her mantle until her knuckles turned bone-white. "Chloe carries the full Moon Goddess aura, Fernando. She healed Nash's mind with a single touch, and her Guardian stands at her door."
Fernando let out a dry, wheezing laugh, coughing up a spittle of dark blood. "I can't take her with my vanguard broken, Tabitha. The sanctuary wards are too strong, and her divine light destroyed half my warriors. If Nash is guarding the ridge,
