R: WHISPERS

oke to

. The kind that pressed against the skin

n her den, s

of moss, unaware. His small chest rose and fell ste

e r

bet

padded silently

p looke

she passed. But Ashra's ears caught something deeper-tensi

areth, her battl

o," he said, be

ed once. "

a body this morning. Red

w o

ee m

hey were all buri

This one wasn't

pulse of inst

n moss. His throat was t

ood chille

all for

, she examined t

and water. But the throat wound was

had meant for h

to the wet bark of a t

pir

een it on

ls of the

her war counc

lves. All loy

the fac

r something else used the chaos to bury its own secr

rose. Ey

a paw and s

d them. P

scout. "How do we know it's not you?

ye. "Because if it were me...

uestione

rest, Ashra walked the borders. Her mind tu

e? Why was he held and ki

y the

errupted he

ng the wrong

a fr

wasn't t

someo

tu

lf she didn'

gold, but they flickered between hu

beyond the tre

you?" Ash

ted hi

of what y

ged, fast

en she

as g

o tracks. N

t w

on the tree

er sp

drawn i

rning, Kire

ned throu

uft of gray fur snagged on a thorn

y nearly br

idn't

hu

l, she foun

of old magic and damp stone. The spiral was etche

ward, every m

n she h

re

yi

e

ber-and at its center, a circle of figures

r: Kiren, boun

ehind

from th

oded

a saw hi

toppe

.Ta

eath l

n her litterma

e the da

uried him

real," she

ange. "I'm more real than

m their sheaths. "You

d," he said softly. "The gods

eight mo

ger than they want

pped f

t. It's not. It's a signal. A beacon

around her pulse-l

wolves beg

ice rose w

ing, sister. But Kir

ed-and the

n't hol

e. The cloaked wolves tr

fai

ll them. She

ike flame g

she tore his bonds free an

didn't

ly wa

d, Ashra faced him, p

wn," she

"I never rose.

n-he va

e m

m that refu

home, though her l

et. Shaken

rled around him and wat

were louder

on real

n him-and shaped him

as the

Kiren seem..

e pup's face, pe

ruth forming

t a war bet

a war f

d only ju

Chapte