Seris POV
"Granddaughter."
The word echoes through my skull like thunder. Silver fire shoots from the crack in the temple foundation, reaching toward the sky. Everyone backs away in terror—Corwin's army, Vaelor's warriors, even Elder Casta looks terrified.
But I can't move. I'm frozen, staring at that pillar of flame.
Because I can FEEL her. Feel the consciousness inside that fire. Ancient. Powerful. Angry.
And she's calling to me.
"Come, child. I've slept for three thousand years, waiting for one strong enough to wake me. And here you are at last."
The voice speaks directly into my mind. It's not cruel, but it's not kind either. It's... hungry.
"Seris, don't!" Vaelor grabs my arm. "We don't know what she wants!"
But my feet are already moving. Not because I choose to. Because something in my blood is pulling me forward. Like a rope tied around my heart, dragging me toward that crack in the ground.
"I can't stop," I gasp. "She's... she's calling me..."
The silver flames part as I approach. Stone steps lead down into darkness. Into the catacombs.
"If you go down there, you might not come back!" Vaelor's voice is desperate. "Seris, please—"
I look back at him. At his gray eyes full of fear. Not fear of the ancient being below. Fear FOR me.
"I have to know," I whisper. "I have to know who I really am."
I pull free from his grip and descend into the darkness.
The steps spiral down, down, down. The silver flames light my way. My heart pounds so hard I think it might burst from my chest.
At the bottom, the catacombs open into a massive chamber. The walls are carved with ancient symbols I don't recognize. And in the center, surrounded by a circle of silver fire, stands a stone coffin.
As I watch, the lid begins to crack.
Silver light pours through the cracks. The stone splits apart and falls away in pieces.
A woman sits up.
She looks young.