The air was thick with smoke and ash, curling against my skin and stinging my eyes. The world seemed to hold its breath as Elias and I stood side by side, with the Ash Queen looming behind us, her obsidian crown glowing faintly in the dark. Across the broken stone courtyard stood the sorcerer, cloaked in shadows that seemed alive, writhing and twisting as though eager for blood. His eyes burned like twin embers, locked on us with a hatred that was old and patient.
“You should have stayed hidden.” He hissed, his voice carrying like a whisper made of knives. “Now you’ve walked straight into your own graves.”
Elias shifted forward, muscles tense, his wolf just beneath the surface. The air around him bristled with power, and the growl deep in his throat was a warning that made the shadows fa
