Rafe's POV The pressure started in my teeth, the Seer’s sang a dry, rasping chant that didn’t sound like any language I knew. On the platform, Caleb watched me, his smile a slash of triumph. The knife was still at Elara’s throat, she was silent now, her eyes were fixed on her son up on the rim. The crowd all held their breath. Then the pain began. The chains around my chest weren’t just metal, they were bands of freezing fire, squeezing the air from my lungs. The silver cuffs on my wrists ignited, piercing into old burns. I arched my back against the post, a strangled cry ripping from my throat. The Seer’s chanting rose into the air, into the ancient power of the Grove. I could see it now, thin, grey filaments of energy, like spider silk, peeling away from the stones and the twisted trees. They crawled
Last Updated : 2026-02-04 Read more