THE AFTERMATHThe screaming had stopped, but the silence that followed was worse. It was the kind of silence that rang in your ears, heavy with the smell of wet ash and copper.

We had found a small hollow beneath a ledge of rock, just far enough from the camp to be safe from the wandering eyes of any remaining Hunters. The orange glow of the fires still lit up the underside of the clouds, but here, it was mostly shadows.

Demetrius was slumped against the cold stone. His chest was heaving, every ...