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I stared at the vial, at the faint red glow swirling within it.

It didn’t look like much—just a small bottle of dark liquid. But I could feel its weight, its power, like it was alive and waiting.

I pressed my hand against the cut in my palm, blood still warm against my skin.

This was my blood. My power.

“You must listen carefully, Annika.” Rowena sat across from me, her sharp eyes locked onto mine, unblinking. “Aurelius is no ordinary monster. He was cunning even before he was bound, and time has only sharpened his hunger. He’ll try to reach you, not just through force but through whispers.”

I swallowed, my throat suddenly dry. “Whispers?”

Her lips thinned. “Promises. Lies dressed as truth.”

A chill crawled down my spine, and I rubbed my arms, suddenly feeling bare despite Lucas’s cloak draped over my shoulders. “What kind of lies?”

“The kind that will tempt you.” She leaned closer, her voice dropping lower. “He’ll offer you everything you want, power,safety, love. He’ll speak as though he understands you, as though he’s the only one who can. He’ll make you feel seen, Annika, and it will be a lie.”

I shivered but forced myself to meet her gaze. “And what if he doesn’t lie? What if—?”

Rowena cut me off with a sharp shake of her head. “No. He will lie. That’s all he knows how to do.”

I tried to keep my voice steady. “What if he offers his servitude? His loyalty? If he swears to help us?”

Her eyes blazed. “Then he’s already begun.”

Her words sank like a stone in my gut.

“You don’t understand the depth of his hunger,” she continued. “He’ll twist your thoughts, plant doubts, make you question everything you know. And it won’t always feel like deception. That’s the danger of him. He’ll make you want to believe him.”

My fingers dug into the cloak, twisting the fabric. “How do I fight that?”

“You don’t listen,” she said firmly. “Not to his words. Not to his voice. If he speaks, you turn away. If he begs, you shut your ears. And if he pleads for mercy, you remember what he is.”

I wanted to believe I could do that. Wanted to believe I was strong enough to resist whatever poison Aurelius might try to pour into my mind. But doubt gnawed at the edges of my resolve.

Rowena must have seen it because she reached out, grasping my hands in hers. Her grip was warm, strong, and it steadied me.

“You are not weak, Annika,” she said. “You are his cage. His chains. His end. But only if you remember who you are.”

About an hour later, we stood at the mouth of the cave. The air was cool, and we were ready to go back home. My thoughts were still tangled in Rowena’s warnings.

She stood before us, her dark eyes steady as she handed me a small leather pouch tied shut with twine. I held it carefully, as though it might shatter, though I knew it held power far stronger than its fragile appearance suggested.

“This is everything I can give you,” Rowena said, her voice calm but heavy. “The binding mixture is ready. You know what must be done.”

I nodded, swallowing past the tightness in my throat. “Thank you.”

Her gaze softened. “Don’t thank me yet. The path ahead is still shrouded in shadow.”

Lucas shifted beside me, his hand brushing against mine as though grounding me. Kael stood a little apart, his expression guarded, but even he inclined his head in respect.

Rowena’s sharp gaze landed on him. “Protect her.”

“I will,” Kael said without hesitation.

She turned to Lucas next. “And you… keep your head. Don’t let your anger make you reckless.”

His jaw tightened, but he nodded.