e a wound in the sky-wi

ared, the scent of war

ing had changed t

omething ancient had snapped loose inside her and w

some

me

-

learing, his eyes already

ve fou

ed, even though

Council's

rom the trees, panting har

. "Too fast. They were

beat thundere

ow. More

ged, ancient. "One is a Shadowmancer. They track through spiri

h. "They're not just hunting

-

st becam

dows shifting with every motion. Somewhere behind them, trees crack

p," Darius growled.

a stop. "Then w

ned sharpl

. We fight now o

at the sky, the blood m

e make

-

thered trees where moonlight pooled in silvery strea

d as Ashra stir

," the Holl

t

eded c

eded c

er arrived before

a falling star-long coat whipping around his legs, his scent la

l-traine

hrew out his hand-and s

ed, rolled

ared ins

t resist

-

r fl

s glowe

lden.

stum

wakened,"

didn't

mo

a

n she ever

teel. Magic

while Darius struck low with his blade. The three of them

was

en was

cross his chest, drawing blo

nd her-an echo, a pha

tared i

o.

hispere

ende

-

t went si

y for a

-high and musical.

us f

er," he mut

en didn

te-hot, and said, "N

-

mist-a woman, cloaked in moon-thread

aid. "The Council de

ead. "Then they'l

d is not a right.

Funny. I was about to

-

d battle

er didn't figh

ght lik

hoed with banshee wails. Her magic turned

en wasn

till ghost-like, b

rtbeat, Raven bega

ht as a girl afrai

a Hollow Alpha

-

n a flash

o the earth, pulling powe

ller stagger

rius s

hrough her armor, a

drop

fell sti

unter

idn't feel

elt w

-

ns, Maedra-the Council's Seer-

than we predicte

side frowned. "Then we

shook h

Hollow swell. When she's ripe

-

n knelt beside the bodi

ul," she said. "D

d if two are here,

closer. "We

he north, toward the

ack crazy enough to

sed. "The

"Then that's wh