The larger ships arrived at dawn.Sophia stood on the cliffside balcony, naked in the early morning light, her heavily pregnant belly full and round, glowing softly. Warm milk leaked steadily from her heavy breasts, tracing slow, glistening paths over the swell before dripping onto the warm stone at her feet. Aurora pressed tightly against her back, arms wrapped around her, hands gently cradling the life growing inside her sister.“They’re here,” Aurora whispered, voice thick with both excitement and unease. “The real powers Valeria warned us about.”Sophia watched the massive vessels dock, her hand resting protectively on her belly. “Then we greet them as queens should.”That night they called the ritual “Greater Shadows.”The sanctuary was prepared with majestic intensity. Torchlight mixed with moonlight, casting dramatic shadows across the black marble altar. The air was thick, humid, and saturated with coconut oil, jasmine, sea salt, warm leaking milk, and the sharp edge of new da
Read more