*The Broken Stones*

Smoke curled between shattered pillars, carrying the metallic sting of blood. Crystal's flames flickered weaker around her hands----her breathing ragged, but the battlefield gave her no mercy.

Ryder's golden eyes met hers across the battlefield. Then the ground quaked beneath them. A shadow beast lunged, its form blotting out the rising sun. Ryder's wolf, Aiden, surged to the surface, tearing the creature apart in a spray of smoke and fluid. But even as it ...