LOGIN"Tell us," Nolan said, his voice carrying none of the patience he'd managed to maintain through every previous revelation Corwin had offered in careful, measured pieces. "All of it, Corwin. No more withholding parts of this because you're afraid of how we'll react."Corwin drew a slow, steadying breath, his hands still trembling slightly as he finally pulled them back from the examination table entirely, straightening to face them directly. "The legends I've shared with you so far," he said, "focused primarily on the Dawnbringer's role as protector, someone born to guide our people through periods of crisis, whose power must be shielded from corruption at all costs. That much remains entirely true.""But," Gianna prompted, sensing the weight of whatever remained unspoken still hanging between his words."But there's more," Corwin continued, his voice growing steadier despite the obvious difficulty of what he was about to reveal. "Dawnbringers aren't simply protectors against threats l
The night stretched long and heavy over the settlement, torches burning at every corner where soldiers worked to clear debris, carry wounded toward the healing wards, and dig graves for those who hadn't survived the Hollow Court's first terrible assault. Gianna moved among it all with Luna held close against her chest, refusing every suggestion that she retreat somewhere safer, somewhere quieter, while the settlement bore the weight of its losses."You should rest," Nolan said for perhaps the fifth time that night, finding her standing near the newly dug row of graves as soldiers lowered another fallen comrade into the earth, the moon casting pale light over the somber gathering of mourners."I will," Gianna said, though her eyes never left the grave being filled. "After this one."There had been twelve burials already, and each time, Gianna had insisted on attending personally, standing at the edge of the gathered mourners with Luna in her arms, bearing witness to every single life l
The stillness stretched on for several long, agonizing minutes before anyone dared move. Gianna remained kneeling at the center of the chamber, Luna still cradled against her chest, the golden glow slowly fading from her daughter's wrist back into its usual faint, steady pulse. The healers lowered their hands one by one, exhausted and trembling, several of them sinking to the floor entirely, their reserves of strength utterly depleted."Did it work?" Gianna asked, her voice hoarse, barely daring to hope.Corwin moved carefully toward the chamber's entrance, past Nolan who still stood guard with his sword raised, and peered out through one of the narrow windows lining the corridor. What he saw made him exhale slowly, some of the tension easing from his shoulders, though not entirely."It's retreated," he said. "Not gone. But it's pulled back toward the fissure, as though reassessing."Nolan lowered his sword slightly, moving to look for himself, and Gianna rose unsteadily to her feet,
Gianna's lungs burned as she and Nolan sprinted across the settlement grounds, weaving between fleeing servants and wounded soldiers being carried toward safety, the palace looming ahead of them with its doors still heavily guarded, exactly as they'd left them. Behind them, the ground continued to groan and shudder, the towering darkness still slowly, methodically pulling itself free from the widening fissure, and Gianna didn't dare look back to see how much closer it had drawn."Faster," Nolan urged, though she was already running as hard as her exhausted body would allow, her chest heaving with effort and fear in equal measure.They burst through the palace's main doors to find Fenna's chosen healers still stationed exactly where they'd been left, forming a protective circle around the nursery, their faces pale with terror at the sounds of chaos still echoing from outside."Is she safe?" Gianna demanded, pushing past them toward Luna's crib."She's been sleeping through all of it,"
The tremor that shook the settlement dwarfed everything that had come before it. Soldiers lost their footing entirely, shadow creatures and defenders alike stumbling as the ground heaved beneath them. Gianna grabbed Nolan's arm to steady herself, watching in horror as the largest fissure, the one directly beneath where the healer knelt bleeding, split wide open with a groan like tearing stone."Get back!" Elmund shouted, dragging two soldiers away from the widening crack just as a wave of cold, suffocating air rolled up from the darkness below, extinguishing torches and dimming the already weak morning light.The healer laughed weakly, blood bubbling at her lips. "You cannot stop what's coming," she said, her voice growing fainter even as the layered, ancient resonance beneath it grew stronger, as though whatever controlled her was speaking directly now, no longer bothering to filter itself through her failing human vessel. "He has waited too long to be denied now.""Who?" Gianna dema
The battle raged on through the morning, the settlement grounds churned into mud and ash, bodies of fallen shadow creatures dissolving into wisps of dark smoke the moment they were struck down, only to be replaced moments later by fresh forms rising from the ever-widening cracks in the earth. Gianna's arms burned with exhaustion, golden light flickering weaker with each strike as her reserves of power began to wane under the relentless assault."We can't keep this pace forever," Elmund shouted, cutting down another shadow form before it could reach a cluster of retreating soldiers, his own breathing ragged with effort. "We need another approach!"Nolan fought beside him, his blade flashing with practiced precision, though even his considerable skill was beginning to show signs of strain. "Fenna!" he called out, his voice carrying over the chaos. "Is there anything, any weakness we can exploit?"Fenna, positioned near the palace steps with the remaining healers, had been weaving protec
Chapter TwoShe was having the best dream of her life.She didn't know what it was about – just that it was warm, and she was laughing, and nothing hurt.Then she felt eyes on her.Gianna's eyes snapped open.A man was sitting in the chair right beside her bed, close enough that she could see the i
Chapter OneThe gates swung open at dusk. Gianna heard the patrol return before she saw it – boots on gravel, wolves shifting back to skin, the familiar chaos of Valemont's warriors coming home.She was standing on the upper terrace with a glass of wine when she saw Cyrus walk through the main ga
Chapter FourCyrus and Pietra said goodbye at the door for four full minutes.Gianna watched from inside the carriage through the small window, arms crossed, expression blank.Pietra had both of Cyrus's hands in hers. She was looking up at him saying something – Gianna couldn't hear it and honestl
Chapter ThreeGetting out of bed took longer than it should have.Evelyn hovered the entire time – hands half-raised, ready to catch her – while Gianna moved carefully, testing each step like she was walking on ice. The lump on her skull had softened slightly overnight but the unpleasant headache







