I was about to reply when that same howl tore through the forest again — low, ancient... wrong.

My gaze snapped to the window-wall beside me, and I frowned.

‘That goddamn beast hasn’t moved for days,’ Felix muttered, eyes narrowed at the tree line.

I was wondering the same thing.

‘I’ve been trying to convince Eseus to send a troop out,’ I said quietly. ‘Our border’s strong, but...’ I trailed off.

Felix shook his head before I could finish. ‘Eseus is right to hold back. That thing’s dangerous—we don’t know what it is. We can’t risk sending children to vanish into fog to satisfy curiosity.’

Something bad was coming to Adrestia.

Something    very    bad.