The moment Kael's blood hit the stone, the world stopped being a place of shadows and became a map of fire. Kael collapsed, his body hitting the floor with a heavy wet thud.
The black rot from Sara's hand was already moving visibly under his skin. It raced like dark lightning toward his throat.
Elara felt a scream build in her chest. But before it could leave her throat, something inside her snapped.
It was not a break. It was an awakening.
The ancient blood of the Queen, which had been humming at the edge of her mind for weeks, suddenly surged forward with the force of a tidal wave.
Elara's vision did not just change. It shattered.
The damp smoke filled ward vanished and was replaced by a world of shimmering gold and jagged black.
Her blindfold, the thin strip of cloth she had used to hide her eyes and ground her senses, began to smoke. Then it caught fire.
The fabric curled and turned to ash under an intense internal heat that radiated from her skin.
