Meanwhile; The triplets stood at the cliff side, gazes fixed toward the south. The sky shimmered unnaturally.
“She’s fighting,” Aiden said, his voice tight.
Asher clenched his fists. “And we’re just standing here?”
“No,” Axel said sharply. “We ride. Now.”
But before they could shift, a low hum shook the fortress. The wards trembled. The council chamber’s seal shattered.
Kael burst through the main gate. “It’s begun,” he breathed. “The final part of the prophecy…”
They turned to him.
He pointed at the sky—where a silver-blue flame spiraled like a comet.
“The Moonfire Heir has awakened. But if Lillian kills her before she returns…”
“She won’t,” Aiden growled.
And with that, they shifted, howling into the wind.
—
Back in the Ashveil Thicket
Aria staggered, her cheek bloodied. The
