The road to the Blackspire Mountains reeked of dark magic.Elara’s scar burned as they rode, the sealing stone in her pouch pulsing in time with her heartbeat. Ellie, tucked in front of her on the horse, frowned at the sky—overcast and gray, with storm clouds clinging to the mountain peaks ahead.“Bad air,” the pup muttered, her small hand clutching Elara’s cloak. Silver fire flickered between her fingers, as if sensing danger.He rode beside them, his shadow magic rippling like a second skin. His red brand glowed brighter the closer they got to the mountains, casting faint black light over his horse’s mane. “We’ll camp at the base tonight. Scout the perimeter at dawn.”Lira, behind them with a half-dozen wolves, grunted as her horse stumbled over a rock. “Scout all you want. I say we burn the tower down and ask questions later.”Elara smiled, but her jaw tightened. The sealing stone’s visions had grown clearer since they left the den—the ice witch, her form fading in a cell of black
The den’s gates loomed ahead, their stone archway draped with evergreen garlands that fluttered in the spring breeze. Elara smiled as the wolves on guard spotted them, their howls of welcome echoing across the valley.“Finally,” Lira muttered, adjusting the strap of her pack. “I swear, the mountain air ages you. I’ve got more gray fur than Gareth now.”Ellie, perched on his shoulders, giggled and pointed. “Look, Mamma! The den’s glowing.”Elara squinted, and sure enough, the stone walls shimmered with a faint tricolor light—gold, black, and blue—a reflection of the magic that now pulsed in their veins. “The trinity magic. It’s connecting us to home.”He shifted to human form as they approached, setting Ellie on the ground. His red brand glowed warmly against his palm, matching the scar on Elara’s wrist and the phoenix mark on Ellie’s chest. “They’ve been preparing for days. Feast, 篝火 (bonfire), the works.”The pack swarmed them as they passed through the gates, wolves nuzzling their h
The temple’s training yard glowed with magic as Elara dodged a spray of ice, her scar blazing. Beside her, he lunged, his shadow magic coiling around a practice dummy, while Ellie wove silver fire between them, creating a barrier that turned the ice to steam.“Faster!” the ice witch called, her blue flames flickering as she conjured another wave of frost. “The Ice Lord won’t hesitate. He’ll freeze you before you can blink.”Elara grunted, rolling under a particularly sharp icicle, and retaliated with a burst of fire that melted the dummy into a puddle. “Remind me again why we’re practicing on dummies? Shouldn’t we be tracking the corrupted wolves?”“Tracking won’t help if we can’t fight,” he said, his shadow magic dissolving as he shifted to human form. He brushed frost from his arm, where the red brand glowed faintly. “The witch is right. We need to master this trinity magic before we face the Ice Lord.”Ellie collapsed onto the snow, her silver fire sputtering. “Tired. Magic hurts.”
The frozen temple hummed with magic, its walls glowing faintly as Elara ran her hand over a shelf of ancient scrolls. Icy air hung thick with the scent of old paper and frost, but the red brand on her wrist burned warmly, counteracting the cold.“Careful with those,” the ice witch said, setting a lantern on a stone table. Her white hair cascaded over a cloak stitched with snowflakes, and her blue flames danced in the lantern’s glass, casting prisms across the room. “Eleanor’s writings are fragile. One wrong move and they’ll crumble to dust.”Ellie sat on the table, her legs swinging, as she traced glowing runes on a scroll with her finger. Silver fire followed her touch, illuminating words that had been hidden for centuries. “Pretty words. Fire friend likes them.”Lira leaned against a stone pillar, her arms crossed, watching the witch with suspicion. “So you’re just going to let us rummage through your secret scrolls? No riddles? No tests?”The witch’s lips twitched. “Tests would ser
The mountain air bit at Elara’s cheeks as they climbed, sharp and cold enough to make her breath fog. Ellie huddled in the fur cloak draped over her shoulders, her small hand clamped around Elara’s as they navigated the rocky trail.“Cold,” Ellie muttered, her golden eyes watering against the wind. But when she exhaled, a wisp of silver fire curled from her lips, melting the frost on a nearby boulder.He appeared beside them, his wolf form moving easily through the snow despite the steep slope. His red brand glowed faintly against his dark fur, a beacon in the gray landscape. “An hour more. The scouts spotted ruins ahead.”Elara nodded, pulling Ellie closer. The pack had split at dawn—half staying to guard the den, the rest following them into the mountains, their breath visible as they tramped through the snow. Lira led the way, her bow slung across her back, her eyes scanning the cliffs for signs of danger.“Keep your eyes peeled,” she called over her shoulder. “Ice witches don’
The den smelled of pine and celebration when they returned.Elara smiled as wolves swarmed them, their howls of joy echoing off the stone walls. Lira pushed through the crowd, her sling gone, and pulled Elara into a tight hug that made her ribs ache. “Thought you’d never get back. Started planning your funeral feast.”“Morbid,” Elara laughed, but her eyes stung. Behind Lira, the pack had strung garlands of evergreen and hung torches that burned with a warm, golden light—not fire magic, just good old-fashioned flame, but it still made her scar tingle.He appeared beside her, Ellie balanced on his shoulders, the pup’s laughter mingling with the wolves’ cheers. “Someone’s popular,” he said, his hand brushing her waist. The red brand on his palm glowed faintly, a new addition to his collection of scars.Ellie leaned down, her golden eyes wide. “Lira! Fire friend says hello.” She held out her hand, and a small flame danced above her fingers, playful and bright.Lira yelped, jumping ba