The night sky looked strange now. The stars were too bright, too alive like they were watching. Since the Moonfire child had opened her eyes to the divine, the air around her shimmered with something both holy and wild.

She slept near the hearth, breathing softly. I could see faint symbols glowing beneath her skin marks of the old gods.

Kael sat beside me, sharpening his blade. “She’s changing faster,” he said.

I nodded. “The Echo Crown didn’t die. It planted something in ...