CASSIA'S POV
The ravine breathed with shadow.
I knelt at the edge of the blackened snow, my white and gold robes untouched by the filth beneath me. Around me, the roots pulsed faintly with Veylor's power, feeding off the frost and the blood I'd spilled hours ago. Their whispers coiled in my head, a symphony of obedience and hunger.
They're coming, I thought, letting the words slip like silk through the tether I'd woven with him.
Veylor's voice rumbled through the cavern of my mind, rich and cold. "Yes, little false Luna. The king brings his heart to you, and the little light will burn itself out trying to save him."
A smile curved my lips. I traced a finger through the snow, leaving a spiral rune that pulsed black and then vanished beneath the frost. "She's strong," I murmured aloud to the empty ravine. "Stronger than I expected. But strength makes wolves predictable. She'll run straight into my teeth to protect him."
