bit deep b

k tighter, boots crunching across the brittle snowpack as I moved deeper into the trees. Thalor

ect hiding place for t

between cliffs and silence. Word was, a tall stranger passed through

l V

ay my pendant pulsed after the me

as c

se for

in blooming low across my spine. Not enough to drop me- yet. Ju

him o

le m

bout this job fe

e pendant st

d dragging me back to memor

all this. Something ancient. So

anning for prints, sounds, anything out of place. The road narr

shing my gloved fin

ks. Barefo

hu

a

e with practiced ease. My breath fogged

e wind

hoed off the s

ther to

fr

shif

n loners. These were the Broken- lycans who'd lost the battle for control and descended into

ight of the air... th

ust as o

ashing up to meet it. Steel kissed flesh. A scream tore

dn't

pt co

th and rolled to the side, landing hard against the frozen earth. Ano

fa

ma

time to count.

g the second beast in the throat. Hot blood sprayed the s

eled toward

n its eye socket. The thing shriek

e first- still stan

thing ha

ocked. It sniffed the air- then b

o

like

only by my own rasping breaths and th

ait

conds.

th

scared them o

ied me more t

. My hand trembled as I pressed it to my ribs, feeling

e hadn't

ing. No

when I got

once more, then turned

ed thicker. Like I'd crossed some in

was

know ho

st k

d ruin- stone walls choked by ivy and frost. Probably an old watch post, long forgotten. I drag

touched the ch

sting helped clear my head. My mother's journal lay in t

led i

didn't flip t

o the very

ng for him. Just like I did. Maybe you had no choice. Or

er should ever have to pass on. But you were born

line survives. Moonblood or Red Dagger. One to rul

he oth

oat ti

just a contr

was l

a long time, the flames l

el wasn't

wasn't t

l enemy was som

the pendant. It was wa

knew he

f I wanted to k

ad to f

he path split into old trails then-

nd curled against the w

came, was sha

led throug

here in t

ng howl