With Lakan’s help, Althea’s strength had returned, yet the uneasiness from her dream still lingered.

She waited almost the whole night for Gavriel while lying in his bed but he never came. She got up and walked to the balcony. The full moon shone brightly in the sky, and her eyes filled with tears as her mother’s last words came back to her.

“We came from a powerful house, Althea. You possess great power within you, but others may perceive it as dangerous. Some, driven by greed, will ...