Chapter 21. Blood and Stone

The chamber pulsed with heat and light, the crown floating in midair like the eye of a storm. Ash spiraled down from the vaulted ceiling, and the ground beneath the throne vibrated with a sound that wasn’t sound—just presence.

The shape behind the throne unfurled.

It moved like smoke made of flesh, tall and wrong, not bound by the rules of bone or muscle. It stepped forward on legs that bent the wrong way, its form half-veiled in shadow that refused to fall naturally.

Its face was not a face.
Just a hollow of teeth.

Mairead stumbled back.
Seraya stood her ground.

“Is that what rules the mountain?” Mairead hissed.

Seraya didn’t answer. Her mark flared, and for a moment, her hand flexed as if summoning flame. But the heat didn’t rise. Not here.

The crown spun once in place.