The fire around the Hollow Pines dimmed to a low, silver glow.
Ashen stepped back as if she'd been struck. "If the first Clara created him…"
"…then unmaking Dakarai means unmaking her legacy too," Ashara whispered, horrified.
Lucas swore under his breath, his hand tightening around the hilt of his blade. "And if you can't?"
My son stood slowly, every inch of him wreathed in memory-light. "Then he becomes whole again. Stronger than before. Strong enough to rip the leyline apart."
Ashen's voice dropped low. "And if he controls the leyline, he controls every pack, every coven, every dragon roost across the world."
I looked at my son this boy carrying the burden of choices made before he was ever born and felt my heart fracture anew.
"We find the other shards," I said. My voice didn't tremble. "We bind them. We finish this."
Ashara rolled up her scrolls, determination sharpening her features. "There's no record of where the other shards are."
