Lyla stood over the bodies of the fallen creatures, her breath steady, but her heartbeat loud in her ears.

The last of the shadows receded into the ground, but she could still feel them inside her waiting, pulsing, whispering.

She had won.

But why didn’t it feel like victory?

The Marked Ones watched in silence.

Judging. Calculating.

She had proven herself.

So why did she feel like she had just lost something important?

A slow clap echoed in the silence.

Lyla whipped around, ...