Those who came before—shamanic wolves who sang to spirits and whispered to stars—carved the cavern beneath Barduff Castle into the mountain's bones, making it older than the castle itself. Few people were aware of its existence, and tonight, under the glow of moonlit torches, Leah guided Serafina and Susanna along its convoluted path.
The faint shimmering of the stone walls seemed to react to their presence.
Susanna muttered, "I feel... like we shouldn't be here," in a tone that was both reverent and uneasy.
"You were summoned here," Leah said quietly. "You two."
Constantly poised in public, Serafina seemed caught between the deeper pull of something ancient within her and control. "What is this location?"
Leah halted at the middle of the room, where a triangle of moonstones protruded from the floor. A circular basin full of silver water sits in the middle.
The first three Moon-Blessed she-wolves made a blood vow to defend the physical and spiritual realms here, according to Leah. We do the same tonight.
Serafina moved to the front. "You think we are the Veiled Flames, as Gisele envisioned?"
"I don't merely believe," Leah answered. "I sense it. Serafina, you are the Flame of Truth. You see past masks, including your own suffering. Even when it hurts, you confront what is broken.
Serafina's eyes glinted as she swallowed hard. "What about Susanna?"
The younger woman stood silently, her eyes shadowed by uncertainty.
Leah turned to face her and declared, "She is the Flame of Sacrifice." You have concealed your feelings for Thomas, your birthright, and your nobility in order to keep others safe. But, Susanna, you'll get up. To save us all, you will be the one who sacrifices the most.
Susanna had glimmering eyes. "And you?"
Leah put a hand on each of their arms as she moved between them. "I am the Spirit's Flame. The connection. "The light in the dark."
There was a heavy but alive silence between them.
They walked to the basin together.
Leah pulled out a tiny moonstone-carved dagger. "We now create the Flame Pact, binding ourselves with truth rather than blood."
They dipped their hands into the basin one by one. Warmth rippled through the water as it shimmered and then changed. It emitted a pulsation of light that encircled their wrists like luminous thread.
"By moon and fate, by spirit, truth, and sacrifice—we pledge to halt the Hollow Alpha, and bring our kind back into harmony," Leah muttered.
After a single blaze, the water became motionless.
They made a deal.
Serafina stopped as they turned to exit the room. "We stand together, no matter what."
Susanna gave a nod. "Always."
"Let the Hollow Alpha tremble," Leah whispered, her eyes now glowing a faint silver.
For the Veiled Flames had risen.