The air in Veylan’s Hollow reeked of damp earth and decay, a stench that clung to Kael’s skin like a second layer. He knelt beside the riverbank, fingers sifting through gravel, searching for the shard his mother had whispered about.…
The sun hung low over the crumbled spires of Aetheris, casting long shadows through the skeletal remains of a city that had once pulsed with magic. Kael stood at the edge of the marketplace, his fingers brushing against the cracked…
The village of Vareth lay under a sky choked with ash, its streets choked with the stench of decay. Kaela’s boots crunched over brittle grass as she knelt beside the well, her fingers brushing the rim of the iron bucket.…