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We burst into the cave, gasping for breath. True to Volker's word, fresh air flowed from a narrow fissure in the far wall, just wide enough for a person to squeeze through.

"You first," Thorn urged Wyn, who nodded and extinguished her light orb before slipping through the crack. Volker followed, his slender frame passing through with little difficulty.

Thorn turned to me, his eyes searching my face. "Are you alright?"

I wasn't. My body still trembled from the encounter with the being in the pool, and the searing sensation of my Mark blazed with such intensity that I could scarcely concentrate. The sheer pain radiating from my Mark had me dropping to my knees, unable to think past it.

ChapterFourteen

Senara

"Go," Thorn urged, his hands pulling me to my feet and pressing against my back as he pushed me into the gap. I squeezed through the narrow fissure, jagged rock scraping my arms. The fresh air hit my lungs like a blessing after the stale temple atmosphere. Thorn followed close behind, his broader frame barely making it through.

We emerged onto a moonlit hillside dotted with ancient oaks. The ground still trembled beneath our feet, but the violent shaking had subsided to a distant rumble.

"Well, that was quite an exit." A familiar voice cut through the night.

I spun around. Van lounged against a gnarled tree trunk, his lute propped casually across his lap. His silver hair gleamed in the moonlight, and a knowing smile played across his lips.

"How did you…" Wyn started.

"Know you'd be here?" Van plucked a single string, the note hanging in the air. "Let's just say certain songs carry far, if you know how to listen."

Thorn stepped forward, positioning himself between Van and our group. "You were waiting for us."

"Guilty as charged." Van stood, slinging his lute across his back. "Though I must say, I expected you sooner. The temple's awakening sent ripples through every magical current in the realm."

My Mark throbbed at his words. "You know about the temple?"

"I know many things, dear Senara." His eyes flickered to my Mark. "Including what that little swim in the scrying pool revealed to you."

Volker pushed his way forward. "Impossible. The temple's location was lost centuries ago."

"Was it?" Van's smile widened. "Or was it simply waiting for the right moment, and the right person, to be found again?"

The ground shuddered once more, and we all turned to watch as the fissure we'd escaped through sealed itself, rock flowing like water until no trace remained of the opening.

"The temple has chosen to hide itself again," Van said softly. "But its awakening changes everything. The question is, are you ready for what comes next?"

I stared at Van, my Mark still pulsing with echoes of the temple's power. "What do you mean, what comes next?"

"He means war," Thorn growled, his hand moving to the hilt of his sword.

Van raised his hands. "Peace, Thorn. I'm merely a humble bard who knows which way the wind blows." He pulled his lute forward and strummed a chord that sent shivers down my spine. "And right now, it's blowing straight toward chaos."

"The visions," I said, pressing my palm against my Mark. "The woman I saw, standing between the courts, she was trying to prevent exactly what's happening now."

"And failing spectacularly, if history serves." Van's fingers danced across the strings. "But perhaps you'll fare better."

Wyn stepped closer to me. "What are you saying?"

"Don't play games," Thorn snapped. "If you know something, speak plainly."

Van's music halted. "Very well. The temple didn't wake for nothing, and it certainly didn't show Senara those visions on a whim." He fixed his gaze on me. "You saw the empty thrones, didn't you? Sun and Moon, waiting to be united?"

My breath caught. "How did you…"

"Because that's what the prophecies spoke of. An Eclipse Child who would bridge the divide." He nodded toward my Mark. "Someone marked by both courts, carrying both powers."