They dragged her through the forest like she was already dead. Nyx’s boots carved twin furrows in the earth as Evander’s warriors hauled her between them, her body still weak from the dark magic that had pinned her to the ground at Thornridge. The trees blurred past, their ancient branches reaching overhead like grasping fingers against the darkening sky. She didn’t fight. Not yet. Conserve your strength, she told herself. Wait. Watch. Calculate. The ritual site was a natural clearing on a rocky outcropping overlooking the pack lands below. The warriors threw her to the ground in the center of a ritual circle drawn in silver powder and ash. The impact jarred through her bones, sending fresh pain radiating through her already battered body. She bit down hard on the inside of her cheek, refusing to give them the satisfaction of hearing her cry out. Above, the sky had deepened to indigo, and on the eastern horizon, the moon was beginning its slow ascent. Still pale. Still distant.
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