Vex catches me, his arms steady, his presence through the bond an anchor in the storm of sensation.
“I’ve got you,” he murmurs.“I’ve got you.”
The stones pulse with ancient power.The mark burns with the devourer’s hunger.And somewhere beneath us, trapped but not destroyed, something massive and terrible and older than mountains stirs.
It knows I’m here.
It’s been waiting for me.
Chapter Eighteen
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Vex
Prophet’s voice risesabove the wind, ancient syllables that predate language itself pouring from his throat.The words have weight a physical, tangible weight, pressing down on the circle until the air shimmers with power.
Tessa stands at the center, head high, mark blazing with cold fire.Through the bond, I feel her terror and determination in equal measure.She’s chosen this.Chosen to be the lure, the bait, the key to ending this nightmare.
And all I can do is stand three feet away and watch.
The stones respond to Prophet’s chant, symbols carved into their surfaces beginning to glow.Not with heat or light, but with something older.The hum I’d felt before intensifies until my teeth ache with it, until the very ground vibrates beneath my boots.
“It’s working,” Prophet gasps between verses, sweat freezing on his face despite his angelic nature.“The seal is opening it’s controlled, channeled, but Vex, when it comes through—”
“I know.”My hands flex, claws extending.“I’ll keep her safe.”
“You’ll have to keep yourself safe too.”His eyes meet mine, glowing with divine light.“What’s coming isn’t only a creature.It’s an idea given form.It can’t be killed, only convinced to leave or forced back through the tear.”
“Then we’ll force it.”
At the circle’s edge, the Kings have formed a defensive perimeter.Chrome crouches low in his lynx form, silver-grey fur bristling, tufted ears flat against his skull.Scout hovers above the stones, wings spread wide, silver light gathering in his palms.Fury remains in hellhound form, flames keeping the encroaching cold at bay.Rooster—
Movement catches my eye as Rooster transforms.
His body contorts, bones cracking and reshaping with sounds that make even my vampire stomach turn.Feathers burst from his skin, not soft down, but razor-sharp quills the color of old bronze.His face elongates into a cruel beak, eyes going predator-bright.Wings unfurl from his back, massive and powerful, tipped with talons that could gut a man.
