The moment I turned from the throne, the Heartline screamed. The sound did not come from the air. It came from the earth. It came from the cracks. It came from the ancient roots that pulsed beneath the shattered valley. It came from the throne that had been denied the future it waited centuries to claim. The scream rose in a spiraling howl that tore through the mountain like a living creature waking into agony.
Silver fire burst upward in violent spirals, spinning so fast they cut through the falling snow like blades. The wind jolted backward. The air warped. The charge in the atmosphere shifted until every breath tasted like hot metal. The ground heaved beneath my feet with a force that knocked me sideways. Talon caught me before I hit the stone, his arms wrapping around my shoulders as
