AYLA'S POV
I woke up choking on smoke.
Ash clung to my lashes, my tongue, my lungs. The world burned in silence around me—no screams, no roars. Just the faint sound of crackling trees and the sickening whimper of something dying slowly.
My body ached. Raw nerves, broken ribs, torn skin. I felt worse. But not like this because this pain wasn't just mine.
I sat up slowly.
We were still in the valley. Or what was left of it. The hill where I'd stood—the one crowned by moonroot trees and ancient runes—was gone. Flattened. Blackened. Sliced down the middle like the earth itself had bled out.
I tasted magic in the air. It wasn't mine, it wasn't even human.
"Kael?" I croaked.
No answer.
My heart kicked. I turned my head too fast and winced. A blast of pain lit up behind my eyes. Something sticky and hot matted my hair to my neck. Blood.
I dragged myself up, one hand pressed to my ribs. The bond with Kael burned faint, frayed like a rope pulled too tight. He was alive. I felt him.
