ad settled in Rowan's bones. Silas had long since vanished, retreating into the night with that uncanny, wolfish quiet of his-too silent, to

n table, the weight of his words still

there's no

in her mind, as fina

newly etched by the current generation. They were tokens of memory, marks of resilience. Her hand hovered over one in particular, a spiral interwoven with claw marks-jagged and bru

the silence that buzzed with unspoken history. And yet, despite all that felt familia

ght beyond. The trees stood in solemn stillness beneath the sky, their branches skeletal in the silver moonlig

st illuminat

otsteps pulled her

came a voice from the doorway-l

ned slowl

se it w

crossed tightly, shoulders squ

frame, crossing her arms in turn. "

deliberate calm, his eyes cold, jaw tight. "I th

le. "Nice to see your

through the air like ice. "This place

he said, the words sharp with restr

estors 'helped' by cursing our blood

ffened. "I didn't

ry the blood of

slightly, the fire in her chest flickering to life.

of heat rushing up the chimney. The shadows in the room danc

ween them sharp enough to cut. Then, without a word,

holding. Her shoulders ached from the tension, the sil

eeded

ge. The wind whispered through the trees like old voices murmuring half-forgotten warnin

ded not by direction, but by instinct. The forest pulled at her

; a ring of mushrooms where she and her sister had once tried to summon fae spirits; a shallow w

ne circle was still visible, though broken in places, weeds curling through cracks. She remembered watching the elders cas

e the

re S

tural grow

wly, heart leapi

ging from the

man, but

smoke, rippling with power. His eyes-those eyes-still held th

wly, muscles coiled, e

she whispered, unsure if the

, nostrils flaring as if catching her scent. Then, in one slow,

sh twisted. Magic surged in the air like a storm's approach. Rowan flinched at

re-chested, skin glistening with s

to wander," he s

e replied, holding his gaze. "You

-smile, barely

ng it," she said,

it's changing. Stronger. Tonight, for a

id," she s

her-really looked. The wind rustled

n, after a pause, "I don't

arm. His skin was burning hot, his muscle

it out," she s

avy with a thousand things left unsaid. Then

itches standing be

"I'm not used to wer

t earned a

ce between them again. "You should rest

omorrow. There's something near the boundary

finish t

d. "I'll

into their own thoughts. But even as she walke

stepping into Ashbourne, sh