The air was unnaturally still.

Moonlight, crimson and pulsing like a heartbeat, bathed the cracked stones of the sealed cavern. Aria lay silent against Caleb’s chest, her skin clammy, her breath shallow. Rowan knelt nearby, casting protective runes into the dirt with trembling hands. The Circle acolytes stood in a solemn ring, their faces pale with fear and awe.

“Aria?” Caleb whispered, brushing sweat-soaked hair from her forehead. “Come back to me.”

But she wasn’t there. Not ...