Tauriel screamed—a raw, primal sound that tore through the chamber like a blade. Her body arched off the marble floor, her hands clawing at the air, her voice cracking with terror.
The fragment of her soul that had been trapped within Maldred had returned, carrying with it echoes of horror she could not comprehend.
She had seen darkness. Felt hunger. Experienced the cold grip of consumption as something vast and ancient had tried to devour her. And beneath it all, she had felt a presence—small, fragile, yet somehow connected to her. A piece of her that had been torn away and given to the void.
The baby.
The thought surfaced through the chaos of her mind, sharp and undeniable. She had not known she was pregnant. She had not even considered the possibility. But the fragment of her soul that had been bound to the child had sensed its presence—had felt its tiny, fierce resistance against the darkness.
