The first howl came at midnight.

It wasn’t a warning. It was a cry from inside a dream.

I woke to it echoing through Iron Howl, the sound of a hundred wolves trapped between sleeping and waking. The air shimmered faintly, like fog made of thoughts.

Kael sat up beside me, his fire flickering gold and uneasy. “It’s spreading again,” he said quietly. “The Hollow Sleep isn’t finished.”

I shook my head, listening closer. “No. This isn’t the Hollow Sleep. It’s something new. ...