Chapter 59 Firelight And Shadows

• The wind clawed colder as the caravan pressed northward, as though the land itself recoiled from them. They had left the shattered ruins behind, but the curse had not stayed buried there. It slithered with them, unseen yet undeniable, pressing against every mind like a wet cloth over the mouth.
• Lucia walked at Kelvin’s side, her hand brushing his as though contact alone could keep him tethered. His wound had worsened; though Mirabelle and Abby changed the wrappings twice that day, the flesh around it throbbed angry and black-veined. Each time she touched his skin, the crown upon her head hummed, sensing the shard lodged within him.
• Kelvin’s jaw was set in a hard line. He bore the pain without complaint, but his eyes betrayed him—silver dulled with the strain of keeping the beast in him from lashing at shadows.