LOGINMEGHANN'S POV
"Put him in a holding cell," Cullen commanded, his deep voice cutting cleanly through the frantic noise of the command center. He did not even look at Shawn. "Strip Colson of any hidden blades and lock the heavy iron door. He can sit in the cold until the sun comes up."
Shawn nodded sharply, turning on his heel to carry out the order.
Cullen stepped toward me. I was gripping the edge of the brushed steel table,
CULLEN'S POVThe entire mountain groaned. It was a deep, violently vibrating rumble that traveled straight up through the thick soles of my combat boots and rattled my teeth inside my skull. The toxic, dark earth magic that had anchored this ancient mining outpost for centuries was suddenly gone. Without the violent spell holding the fractured, rotting stone together, the Jagged Teeth stronghold immediately began to tear itself apart.I dropped Bronson’s lifeless corpse. He hit the freezing floor like a sack of wet dirt.Above me, the towering vaulted ceiling split wide open. A jagged, massive fissure raced across the gray stone, raining a thick, blinding curtain of plaster dust and crushed rock down on my broad shoulders. A boulder the size of a transport truck broke loose from the central archway. It plummeted downward, smashing into the stone floor ten feet to my left. The heavy strike threw me off balance
CULLEN'S POVI pushed my massive shoulders upward, throwing off the ruined chunks of the collapsed wall. A thick cloud of gray plaster dust and ancient dirt cascaded off my dark tactical armor. The bitter, freezing wind howling through the open skylight whipped the debris into a swirling frenzy, but I didn't blink. I stepped out of the rubble, my heavy combat boots crunching loudly against the fractured stone floor.My silver eyes instantly found the altar in the center of the vast, circular chamber.The violent, pulsing purple light of the dark ritual was dying. It flickered erratically, turning into a sick, murky shade of gray before bleeding out completely. The ancient earth magic was pulling away, rejecting the sacrifice.Lying motionless across the carved runes was Caomh Colson.His massive frame completely covered the terrified little girl beneath him. A jagged silver
CAOMH'S POVThe shattered remnants of the dark-magic barrier rained down around me like falling, glowing ash.I stood inside the glowing ring of ancient runes, my heavy boots planted firmly on the freezing stone floor. My chest heaved violently, dragging the thin, bitter winter air into my burning lungs. The ruined gray sweater clinging to my torso was scorched and smoking, the rough wool melted directly into the blistered skin of my shoulders. Every single nerve ending in my body screamed in protest, overwhelmed by the searing, toxic heat of the energy field I had just forced my way through.But I didn't care about the pain. I didn't care about the burns.My golden eyes were completely locked onto the terrified little girl floating above the altar.The invisible tethers of purple magic holding Esme in the air began to flicker and fray. The protective dome had been the main
The shattered halves of the heavy stone doors crashed inward, slamming against the floor of the inner sanctum with a deafening, thunderous crack. A massive cloud of gray dust and pulverized rock plumed into the air, instantly swirling into the violent winter storm.I stepped through the ruined threshold, my heavy boots crunching over the debris.The freezing northern wind howled down through a massive, open skylight in the center of the vaulted ceiling, bringing thick sheets of blinding white snow directly into the tower. But the freezing temperature of the storm was completely eclipsed by the sickening, toxic heat radiating from the center of the room.The air tasted like burnt copper, dry static electricity, and rotting earth.A hidden mercenary, stationed just inside the doorway to guard the entrance, lunged at me through the settling dust. He thrust a short combat blade directly toward my injured ribs, desperate to protect his master.I did not have the strength or the magic of an
CULLEN'S POVThe first pale, freezing light of morning was just beginning to crack the eastern horizon, painting the heavy snow clouds in shades of bruised gray and dull pink. But the natural dawn was completely poisoned by the sickly, pulsing purple glow radiating from the peak of the Jagged Teeth stronghold.I marched at the very front of the Arden column, my massive boots crushing the thick ice beneath my feet.The steep, narrow mountain path was a treacherous, frozen incline leading directly up the sheer cliff face. The freezing northern wind howled down the gorge, carrying sharp shards of sleet that bit sharply into my exposed face. My lungs burned with the thin, freezing altitude, but I kept my pace relentless. I was the King of the North, and my army moved exactly to the rhythm of my boots.Beside me, Caomh Colson walked in total silence.The former ruler of the Silv
MEGHANN'S POV The thick green canvas of the command tent offered very little protection against the violent northern storm.I paced restlessly in front of the folding table, the heavy thud of my boots muffled by the frozen dirt floor. My green eyes were locked on the topographical map spread across the wood. The red marker designating the Jagged Teeth stronghold stared back at me, a tiny, lethal point completely surrounded by impossible terrain.Outside, the gorge was a coiled spring. The low murmur of hundreds of enforcers checking their weapons bled through the canvas, mixing with the howling wind. But beneath the mechanical sounds of an army preparing to kill, there was a dark, pulsing undercurrent in the air. The faint, sickly purple glow flashing from the peak of the mountain was bleeding directly into the atmosphere, making my skin crawl with an unnatural, toxic static.Bronson was starting the ritual.The heavy flaps of the tent suddenly whipped open.Cullen stepped inside. Hi







