Mag-log inNolan spent the following day weighing the anonymous warning carefully against their desperate need for genuine allies, turning the decision over repeatedly in his mind as he worked through the morning's council duties with only half his attention truly present. By afternoon, he had settled on a plan that balanced caution against necessity, one he hoped would satisfy both his growing suspicion and their genuine need for help."I'll meet him myself," he said, finding Gianna in their private chambers that evening, Luna nursing contentedly against her chest. "Not here at the palace, where he might gather information about our defenses or Luna's protection more easily. A neutral location, somewhere I can properly assess his sincerity without extending unnecessary trust.""I should come with you," Gianna said immediately."No," Nolan said, his voice gentle but firm. "If this warning proves accurate, if Kael, or whoever calls himself Draven in correspondence but perhaps something else entir
The replies began arriving over the following days, one by one, delivered by exhausted messengers who had ridden hard across considerable distances only to carry back disappointing, hollow words of sympathy. Gianna read each letter alongside Nolan in his study, the growing pile of parchment offering little comfort despite the careful, diplomatic phrasing most senders had employed to soften their refusals."The Alpha of Greythorne sends his regards and his prayers," Nolan read aloud, his voice carrying barely restrained frustration as he set aside yet another letter. "But regrets he cannot commit soldiers to a threat his own council finds impossible to verify, given the lack of witnesses beyond our own settlement.""They don't believe us," Gianna said, though the words weren't truly a question, simply confirmation of what she'd already understood would happen the moment they began composing those letters."Most of them don't," Nolan confirmed. "A few offer more honest fear rather than
"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,"
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
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







