had always felt like

order beneath a dawn-strewn sky,

head of her stretched the Wildlands: a land untouched by time, rul

ocks of her hair. His wolfhound-a massive creature with ey

not a word

lence was

th promise, contam

that comes before st

all and twisted, roots bulging upwards like veins in the earth. The terra

" the Wolf K

him. "Of yo

n twisted. "O

horse, motioning h

st-encrusted leaves. Her breath caught

and lay open wide-

ns. A charred river running through the valley like a scar. And at t

"The seat of my curse.

roat beca

ooks.

spered. "But te

oaned through the cliffs like howling wolves.

eople would come to

o reach the keep before nightfall. Shadowspire is the f

t me fr

inting. "From the ones who are

Wildlands had

mid-swing, their faces twisted with terror. Aria ran her ha

luntly. "By the sorceress who b

ink I can b

ow yo

H

cause your soul is older than this curse. Be

art st

elt too big for her-

wn yet to

ight at the base

e burning red as blood. Aria sat with

bringing me her

. "Do you re

s I miss the quiet. The surety. Even th

othing fo

You were never meant

ked up

oss his face. In the flickering light of the fire, he wasn't quite so

ong. "But the curse-once the moon took you-I had no ot

tching the stars fli

, "some part of me alwa

ed at h

was no anger. No hung

orn to be bound

you, she al

e reached out a

not pul

ot he

ed, warm and motionl

d country, under a wolf-colored sky and p

hu

torm

tog

nd slumber called to her bones, Aria

ic

g her

her feet, gazing a

ed instantly. "Do n

are

curse devoured. They will attempt to ensnar

d away,

ve them fol

e able to touch you. So long as you carr

m-this monster o

to be afr

nly constant in a

rl who left Eldergro

becoming the queen the W

ut his ha

itation this ti

er into the Wildlands, sha

ies. Unwrit

didn't

mortal gir

g higher had