FINNIAN

An urgent call from my brother meant something was wrong. I felt it as I walked through the long hallway toward the royal quarters. The walls were carved with wolf emblems, the torches burned low, and the silence was sharp enough to cut.

Whatever this was, I would handle it with care.

I reached the meeting room where I already felt their voices echoing. The guards outside bowed quickly, their heads low, announcing in unison, “Your Highness, Prince Finnian has arrived.”

I ...