CROWNED BY BLOOD
is already standing silently at my door. He didn't say a single word. Just looked at me with those eyes that haven't truly been his since the shadows first touched him. He tilted his head slowly to one side like a curious bird, studying me with unnerving intensity. Like somehow he heard the dream. Like he was there in the burning forest with me. Maybe he was. Maybe the boundaries between his consciousness and mine are breaking down just like everything else. I call an emergency council meeting, barely waiting for the moon to rise before summoning everyone. I can't wait anymore, can't pretend everything is manageable for one more day. The High Priest of Shadows arrives last, as he always doe