hick with soot and prophecy. The sigil in the sky pulsed once-like a heartbea

cked beneath her armor burned faintly against her skin, its runes shifting like molten script.

he first villa

was le

d. Ash coated everything like snowfall. Bodies-burned and broken-lay i

eyes grim. "This wasn't a

ing two fingers over its heart. "No scorch

low. "Like what atta

ct is evolving. Feeding. Each soul

mains of a nearby hut

apped up. "There'

her knees beside the rubble. A hand protrude

uncovered a girl-no older than seven-covered in so

lder gently. "You're saf

blinked

of water while Nerythos ke

oftly, "do you remembe

hadows. They had riders. But their faces were wrong. Like masks. They said...

s blood

nting her. They were er

t even for the dead. We move west, toward the Rid

"We won't reach

de through

her onto Nerythos's back. The child clung t

Kaelith looked down at th

as no long

. they were

-

the Ridgefo

were no

anners of cracked crimson flapped in the wind. And at the center, astride a skeletal drake, sat a fig

hat armor. She had seen it once bef

Varion whispered. "

er fists. "They kn

he Black Envoy raise

earth

fect ring around the Ridgefort's b

Nerythos. "Can w

led. "But you'll have

"Then I'll

by dark magic. "Flameborn! You tread paths that should re

her blade. "C

ghed-and the

ands

stood, fire curling up her arms, the scroll of h

d to her

re run

split open-an

Behind her, Nerythos let out a thunderous roar that echoed across the valley, shaking ash from the ruined trees. The Pact f

glowing with elemental light. "If this is the

m smile. "No. This

st wave

nto a line of Pact cavalry and sending armored figures flying like ragdolls. Aelira loos

earing heat through enemy after enemy. The Flame withi

Pact was

the shadow-pillars. The battlefield became a crucible

y raised his hand-a

n to twist, forming grotesque figures of smoke and bone. Spectral dragons, e

ed from Ner

by a trio of the wraith-dragons. Nerythos tried to shield her, but h

d toward them, drawin

e the wraith-d

hot down from the sky, obliterati

nce

obed in silver-stitched armor, with hair lik

med in her chest. "T

dropped open.

, "The Last Luminary... the one wh

ir hood-and beneath it

si

iv

an

orces Kaelith coul

was calm-but it carri

at's coming... you'll need

cracked open beneath her feet, a final s

unging into

adow swallow