Kael
Kael stood on the cliff above Eldhollow, watching the morning mist curl through the trees like smoke from a distant fire. His scouts had reported movement in the wildwood—Elira Ashthorn, traveling alone.
She was smart. Determined. Dangerous.
And if his suspicions were correct… far more powerful than even she knew.
He opened the sealed letter he'd received that morning—sent from Frosthold Castle, bearing the crimson wax seal of the High Regent.
Inside, three lines:
The girl is not to be harmed.
Bring her north if she resists.
The Ember Line must not awaken.
Kael closed the letter with a snap and cursed under his breath.
The Ember Line.
A bloodline of wild mages, thought extinct. Feared. Hunted.
And suddenly, he knew exactly why her brother had been framed.