Semua Bab MOON OF ASHES: Bab 41 - Bab 50

By the time they reached the base of the spire the air had turned metallic, full of the taste of lightning before a storm. The seams in the black stone burned so brightly it hurt to look at them; every pulse rattled loose stones underfoot. Wolves circled just beyond the stairs, hackles high but not attacking, their eyes fixed on something above.Mara slowed, drawing in a sharp breath. “It’s worse than I thought.”Silas followed her gaze upward. Silver figures were climbing over the spire like insects, faceless bodies glinting, chains writhing under their skins. Some were already dragging themselves onto the platform. He could hear faint shouts above — Lyra’s voice, Caleb’s. And in his chest, the shard thrummed like a second heart, answering the spire’s pulse with its own.“They’re inside the circle,” he said.“Then we go through.” Mara raised her bow.The wolves parted as they climbed the stairs, watching but not interfering. Silas felt their eyes on him like a weight. The shard seeme

The mist thickened as they moved, curling higher than their knees now, swallowing the trunks of the trees. The faint pull in Ava’s chest grew sharper, insistent. East, east, always east. She had begun to move almost blindly, trusting the thread rather than her eyes.Silas stayed at her shoulder, his hand brushing hers every few steps. “Keep breathing,” he murmured. “Slow. In, out.”“I’m trying,” she whispered. The shard was warm now, almost hot.Ahead, Mara halted so abruptly that Lyra nearly walked into her. The archer’s head tilted, listening. “Something’s wrong,” she breathed.Lyra’s sword slid soundlessly from its sheath. “Where?”“Everywhere,” Mara replied.Eron frowned, closing his eyes. “I feel… more than one. Circling.”Caleb swore softly. “Ambush?”The wolves growled, low and unified, fur standing along their spines. They began to fan out without being told, a living perimeter.Ava’s pulse jumped. The presence inside her rose with it, uncoiling like a beast sniffing prey. Let

Eron’s hands moved in practiced arcs, chalk scratching faintly even over the hiss of the current. Lines and circles bloomed across the wet rock like frost, each mark glowing pale blue as he whispered the old words under his breath. Sweat dripped from his temples despite the cold.Ava pressed both palms to the seam. The shard blazed, throwing silver light across the mist. She could feel the ancient lock beneath her hands — intricate, heavy, stubborn — and she pushed her will against it, trying to keep it from snapping shut again. Hold steady, she told herself. Just hold steady.The moaning from the river rose into a guttural hum. The black water swelled higher, lapping over the ledge. The wolves retreated a step, growls turning into sharp, anxious whines.Silas planted himself between Ava and the river, sword drawn. The runes along the blade flickered faintly. “Eron, how much longer?”“Almost,” the mage hissed. “Do not break the circle.”The current convulsed. A long pale shape uncoile

The black doors opened without a sound. No hinges, no groan of old stone, just a ripple of darkness peeling away to either side. Cold air poured out, sharp and clean after the cloying mist. For a heartbeat Ava could smell pine and running water — then the scent vanished, leaving only the iron tang that had followed them since the altar.They stepped through together.The chamber beyond was a circle of impossible size, the ceiling lost in shadow. The walls were sheer obsidian veined with silver light that pulsed like veins under skin. In the centre rose a pillar of stone split down the middle, its jagged edges glowing with the same red-white light as the shard in Ava’s palm. Around the pillar, a ring of shallow water mirrored the glow, turning the floor into a moving constellation of stars.The wolves padded forward first, ears flat. Their reflections in the water were wrong — taller, with eyes like coins of silver. They gave low growls but did not cross the ring.Eron’s voice was hush

The sun slid low over the valley as they descended, casting long bars of gold across the trees. By the time they reached the bottom, the air had turned cool and heavy with the scent of damp leaves. A clearing opened where the river bent back on itself, smooth stones forming a natural circle as if it had been waiting for them. The ground here was soft with moss, and the sound of the water over rocks was a slow, steady rhythm that made Ava’s muscles ache with relief.She dropped her pack and sank to her knees, palms pressed against the moss as if to make sure it was real. Her fingers came away damp. Her legs trembled. She realised she’d been holding her breath since they’d left the keep. Across the clearing, the wolves prowled the perimeter, noses low, tails flicking. They moved differently now — not frantic or bound, but alert, curious, almost restless. Their eyes glimmered in the twilight, no longer clouded by rage.Silas crouched by the water and filled his canteen. He was quiet for