The wind howled first. Then she did.
Reign threw back her head and let the sound tear from her throat. Not a cry of fear or grief. A summons. Raw and commanding, it echoed off the frozen cliffs and rolled across the wasteland like thunder.
The direwolf joined her, its ancient voice adding depth and power to hers. Their twin howls merged and spread, reaching through valleys and mountain passes, into caves where outcasts sheltered and forests where rogues hunted.
The call spoke without words. Come. Stand with me. Fight back.
She held the note until her lungs burned, then let it fade into the storm. Silence followed. Just wind and snow and the distant crackle of Kieran's army making camp.
Then, faint and far away, an answering howl.
Another joined it. Then more. Soon the night was full
