LOGINARAH
Gildeon was finally here. Her heart thudded wildly in her chest—a chaotic mix of joy at his arrival and relief at escaping the harrowing void. She felt as though she’d been reborn—only for a wave of dread to crash over her at the thought of how close she had likely come to death mere seconds ago.
“Lokius, come with me,” Drusden commanded, a crazed smile spreading across his lips. His lack of concern set Arah on edge. “We&
ARAHEENFor two seconds, Theobald just stared.The shock on his face caught her off guard. She had never taken him for a man who cared deeply for anyone beyond his mother and sister. For one brief, stupid beat, she felt sorry for him. If she lost Gildeon without warning, something inside her would die with him.Then Theobald’s mouth flattened. The muscles in his jaw locked so hard they twitched. The surprise burned out of his eyes and left something darker behind—cold, hard, murderously clear. He bared his teeth, let out a low, animal sound, and drove his sword in a brutal sideways cut that sheared through her creature’s hind leg at the joint. Bone cracked. The beast shrieked so sharply it split the air.Pain ripped through Araheen with it.Her knees almost buckled, but the Awakened power raging in her blood took the edge off, turning agony into a hot, manageable throb. She gritted her teeth.Theobald didn&
ARAHEENPain shot through the back of Araheen’s neck as Hedda tried to drive her hold deeper, but her Awakened power snapped the connection apart. Araheen ripped free and got to her feet in one hard motion. Hedda barely had time to register it before Araheen sent the pain back through the bond—clean, sharp, and just as vicious as what Hedda had forced on her. Hedda recoiled and bit down on her scream.Araheen turned on Theobald at once. Her wind current spilled from her skin, and the female owl tattoo peeled free after it, both of them surging forward to hold the line while she dragged her sigil needle across her palm and triggered her Creation Sigil.Theobald came in hard. His sword flashed and clipped the owl’s wing. Pain tore across Araheen’s shoulder as though the blade had cut her own flesh. She grunted and gave ground, leaving the wind current and the battered owl to keep him busy while she finished the craft.
ARAHEENHe made it.Relief hit her hard at the sight of Gildeon freed at last, able to take his full beast form again. She saw Kohina too, her flame-colored hair beginning to grow back, along with Yadira and Eitan riding behind other sylph riders.There were salamanders with them that she didn’t recognize. Loyalists, most likely. The ones who still stood with Gildeon and had come to see this through. She believed not all salamanders approved of their general’s choice to side with Zephyr.Araheen had not truly expected to see many of them here. Most salamanders would rather hang back than throw themselves into a sylph civil war.This wasn’t their fight, after all.She stepped away from Zephyr without drawing attention and slipped out her sigil needle, keeping both hands behind her back. Quietly, she pricked her left palm, where she had etched and hidden a special sigil earlier.She had to be ready for
GILDEONHe shot Lothair a hard, questioning look. If this wasn’t about him, then why were the sylphs here? They had their own war with Zephyr. They wouldn’t bleed themselves fighting salamanders unless they had something to gain.“I am no longer their general,” Lothair said, lifting his head. “The man leading them now wants Zephyr brought down, and my daughter saved. If that means siding with the one man who can make it happen, he’ll do it.”Gildeon followed his gaze into the swarm overhead and caught a face he recognized at once.Feviel.His eyes snapped back to Lothair, and the former sylph general gave him one last thin smile.Then Paikon moved.He came in from behind, fast and wild, his face twisted with rage. His claws ripped across Lothair’s throat before anyone could even flinch.“That is for Baltae and Father!” Paikon snarled.He stood t
GILDEONWhen Taeran told him Zephyr had handed Lothair over to the salamanders, Gildeon hadn’t believed it at first. The man had once been a general. Worse, the kind of bastard even his own people kept an eye on—ruthless, feared. And now he’d been delivered like an animal dragged in for slaughter.As they moved through the tunnel, the heat pressed in hard. Vents carved into the black rock exhaled sulfur and furnace air, and every few steps, the walls gave off a dry hiss. It suited the place. The outpost had been carved into the upper throat of a dead volcano, where the stone still held old fire and the mountain never truly cooled.Even through the hiss of steam and the scrape of boots against rock, Gildeon could hear them ahead—hundreds of salamanders roaring for Lothair’s execution.The tunnel opened into a vast basin of cracked obsidian and smoke-dark stone. Heat shimmered across the ground. Thick banks of
GILDEONHe woke in a place that felt too familiar.Stone walls boxed him in, close and suffocating. The only light came from a narrow, barred window high above. He tested his body—steady, recovered, as if he’d slept for days. But his power… it was muted. Restricted.The moment his eyes landed on the steel door, recognition hit.He snapped upright.The seer sigil carved into it pulsed faintly—designed to keep him contained, to stop him from shifting into his dragon form.His pulse picked up.This was the cell General Markaus had thrown him into before—back when he’d lost control of his dragon beast.Which meant he was on one of their important bases.His thoughts shifted instantly to Araheen. Where was she? What about Kohina, Eitan, Yadira?The last thing he remembered was the old outpost—the dizziness, the collapse.Had Markaus found them?He rose from the stone bed and crossed the r
ARAHHer eyes fluttered open, and she grimaced as a throbbing pain pulsed behind her temples. Her fingers instinctively rose to press against her forehead. Every muscle in her body ached, like she’d been tossed into a blender and spun on high. Fortunately, she could alread
ARAHStepping out of the shower, she found Gildeon sitting on the bed, flipping through one of Roselia’s grimoires. She paused in the doorway, towel in hand, as she rubbed at her damp hair, quietly watching him. He was so focused on reading, she doubted he even noticed she
ARAHThe stubborn part of her wanted to stay in the house, no matter what Gildeon had said. But she didn’t want to look pathetic… lingering where she clearly wasn’t wanted.Gildeon just made her feel like she didn’t belong anymore, and she had no idea what was going
GILDEONHe visited the first location Professor Nowak had marked for him—a cliff perched above a remote waterfall. It had taken him nearly an hour to reach it on foot. The drop was jagged, the edge raw and windswept—details that matched his vision, but not enough to confir







