The night before the descent, I could not sleep.
I lay in Kaelen's arms, staring at the ceiling, listening to the steady rhythm of his breathing. The fire had burned low, casting long shadows across the stone walls. The fortress was quiet, the warriors resting, the healers preparing for the worst. But my mind was elsewhere, fixed on the Rift, on the darkness that waited, on the voices that called to me.
Come to me. Free me. The time is near.
Kaelen's hand tightened on mine. "You should rest."
"I can't."
He pulled me closer, his chin resting on top of my head. "You need your strength for tomorrow."
I closed my eyes, but the whispers did not stop. They never stopped.
The door burst open.
