Ella cradled the cursed object in her hands as if it might bite her. The dark mist still clung to it like ash, pulsing faintly with sinister energy. She kept it wrapped tightly in cloth as she returned to the packhouse, her pace urgent and sure.Damian met her halfway down the corridor, his golden eyes filled with concern. “What did you find?” he asked, voice low and tense.

She looked up at him, her silver eyes stormy. “It was buried at the northern border. Something dark. I don’t know ...