Page 18

As I continue walking, the meadow’s serenity slowly drains away. The gathering clouds blot out the sun, and the dragonflight flower wilts and dies before my very eyes. A hush falls over the clearing as the growing shadows that cling to the umberheart branches ooze down and soak into the soil.

A shiver of dread snakes through my limbs.

Something is coming. Something awful. I try to turn and run, but oily tendrils coil around my ankles and lock me in place. All I can do is watch the scene play out around me as the darkness spreads.

Pikas burst from the thickets of grass where they bedded down and scatter, their sharp eyes wide with fear, and their ears rigid as their heads swivel in search of the danger.

Their terror engulfs me.

Underfoot, the grass whispers secrets to the night. Above, indifferent stars veil themselves behind a cloudy shroud.

My legs pump, but I still can’t move.

No. No. No. Something isn’t right. I need to?—

A lone arrow whizzes past my head and hits the ground. The shaft sticks straight up into the air, the feathers on the end still quivering.

I blink. That’s my arrow. How did it get here?

The feathers begin to undulate as shadowy tendrils slither up the shaft. They envelop the entire arrow until it disappears from view.

I blink again, and the shadows are gone.

The arrow too. The only remnant is a piece of feather, all dried up and brittle and curled into a blackened bit of nothing.

My chest tightens. I know the feather is trying to tell me something, but what?

The wind becomes icy. Black birds plummet from the sky, dead before they hit the grass. Covering my head with my hands, I glance up for an explanation.

Overhead, the dark sky twists upon itself.

Wait…I remember. This happened before.

The drachen. They’re back.

Battling through the foggy haze of confusion in my brain, I reach deep inside myself and summon my magic.

Nothing happens. Not even a trace of power heats my veins. I try again to no avail. My power is blocked.

A chill crawls over my skin. Something’s wrong.

I yank on the tethers restraining me, but my feet remain planted.

Around me, the temperature continues to drop. Darkness morphs into glittering black eyes.

Hundreds of them, black on black. They keep opening and closing, watching me as if judging the worth of my soul.

I can’t move. I can’t breathe. I’m trapped, powerless to do anything except stare at my unknown enemy.

An endless abyss stares back at me.

The chill seeps deeper, sinking into my bones. A woman’s mournful cries fracture the silence. The sound burrows through my skin and muscle and claws at my insides.

More wails join hers. They’re weeping for their dead. Brothers, sisters, mothers, fathers, friends, lovers. Hot tears blur my vision, then slide down my cheeks.

Beneath the first woman’s sorrow, I hear something else.

She’s saying something. What is it?