er

rived in the

tone floor of the Council Hall. The black paper glistened like oil, sealed with wax bea

or a long moment bef

sage wa

ir has a

beneath the

our side

lightly as he let the pa

ll and turned to the fire blazing in the hearth. Shadows dance

everything,"

voice came soft, uncert

if it's true," he said coldly. "What m

a splinter of f

ay they cast her out. Not defiant. Not broken. Just

ht she was a

idea what

-

ss

yndicate camp

anted to, but be

he would honor her words instead of over

pounding step through the underbrush

. Not just heali

te wasn't merel

e prepar

received that message, if Crescent caught win

od before the

-

al

ruins after breakfast, his arms folded

d without preamble. "The Lun

thing," she adm

just anyone," he said. "It r

ou're not even pretending t

tight. "We never had

is dark cloak whispering across the ground.

ion replied. "They receiv

isted in her ches

uld start wars," he said. "

e ancient relic buried beneath the ruins, had answered her when she touched

soul in a generat

had cho

-

er

d with tension, an invisi

ut this time, she could not remain still. Her

he said, her eyes sweeping the ring of elders. "We exil

ffed. "Or

erin. By turning our backs when she needed us. By

g slowly, his voice growing cold. "F

thers loo

fli

e unease like a

e was s

adn't even r

-

al

s, Thalia stared at her hands, hands that once mixed healing sal

her voice low. "Why

t for a moment. Then, "Bec

. "That's y

The Flame answered you. That light can't be

sked for a

ntly. "But you were

ee trunk, her eyes fluttering

s a long

make you visible.

ne eye. "What d

rescent. The Syndicate. All

"That sounds like

ou speak, if you own who you are, then even

uiet for

er's journal, thumbed th

id softly. "Le

-

ss

e to find the territory

hreat. A weapon. A Luna wh

ing grounds, barking comma

ng with Crescen

d one this morning. Elira's demanding to k

her know I'm officially withdrawin

ing fully. "You'r

ze evenly. "I'm ch

pect? fear? passed over Ka

range th

y. He wasn't sure if choosing her would sa

was done choosing

-

al

s, the wind tugging at her cloak, her moth

changing too

the fire remai

ared. She

f all, she

ice small, her presence barely tolerated. She remembere

to stay now walked among ruin

eyr, her expres

s the s

ee d

er voice like stee

"Let them see what they tried