“We'd better go inside. You need to sleep. Tomorrow will be a long day.”

Thales' voice broke the heavy silence between them.

Aurora nodded, but couldn't trust her own voice to respond. Her heart was beating too loudly. She walked beside him along the narrow path that led back to the fortress.

The ground was uneven, loose stones hidden in the black sand. When her foot slipped, Aurora lost her balance. Her body leaned toward the cliff.

A scream caught in her ...