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The room was quiet save for the faint crackle of the hearth in the corner. Xander lay on his side, eyes closed, the gentle rhythm of Alyhana's breathing behind him and Iris's restless shifting at his front. Sleep came easier than he expected — but it did not stay gentle for long.
The dream began without warning. One moment he was adrift in the warmth of the inn, and the next, cold air wrapped around him like a vice. He was standing in a place that might have been the Shadow Grove… or what was left of it by the way.
He turned and froze.
Alyhana lay on her side just a few paces away, her hair fanned out like a halo against the dead ground, her eyes open but sightless. Iris was sprawled beside her, green eyes dim, her lips slightly parted as if she had been caught mid-breath. Both of them were stiff and bloodied, and for a moment his mind refused to believe what his eyes told him.
