The valley held its breath as silence settled over the ruined mountainside. The snowstorm slowed until flakes hung suspended in the air like drifting fragments of frozen ash. My twin’s towering form stood across the shattered ridge with silver flames flowing steadily through the hollow channels of his colossal ribs. I could feel his presence pressing against the inside of my skull. The mark on my wrist pulsed in frantic rhythm as if trying to answer a call older than memory.
The sleepers continued kneeling. Half bowed before the Guardian with absolute obedience. Half bowed toward me with quiet devotion. Their hollow eyes glowed in alternating patterns of silver light. The flickering illumination painted the fractured ground with swirling shadows that moved like living creatures.
The Hear
