Crown of Betrayal
Fountains flowed upward as often as they flowed down, shaped by will as much as gravity, and the air carried the faint scent of ozone and flowering vines.
Selene walked slightly ahead, listening as Briar spoke of what she had seen beyond the walls — the forests of Aether, the temples hidden in the Wilds, the slow unlearning of fear. Elora added pieces of their journey where it mattered, her voice steady as she spoke of rites and shadows and the cost of surviving both.
When the Umbra were mentioned, Selene stopped.
“The Umbra are gone,” she said sharply. “They were destroyed generations ago.”
“They’re back,” Elora replied, meeting her gaze. “And they’re moving.”
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