The night was cool and very quiet in the Hollow of Whispered Echoes, interrupted only by the quiet gurgle from the pool of clear water at its heart. Silver moonlight filtered through the broken canopy, silversmearing the moss‑flecked rock. The wards vibrated softly around us, a live grid energized by the Moonclaw—their power source, a power we had rededicated ourselves to defending only days earlier.
Kael stood at the pool's rim, back arched looking up, eyes closed like he was tasting the moon itself. His shoulders were broad under the dark cloak, and Lila peered from the shadow of the great oak, eyes swelling with pride and longing.
At last he opened his eyes, and the moonlight struck their storm ‑ grey depths. "Have you ever stopped to think," he said in a low voice, "about how we went from two strangers hunting in the Veilwood to here?"
