Chapter 69 The Shards' Price

• The torches in the safehouse sputtered as though the night outside pressed against them, suffocating their flame. Shadows stretched long across the stone walls, whispering of a presence that refused to be banished.
• Lucia stirred on her pallet, her lashes fluttering weakly. Her fingers twitched around her mother’s hand. Mirabelle bent close, her voice breaking. “Stay with me, my child.”
• Kelvin hadn’t moved from her side. His broad frame, though rigid with pain, seemed carved into stone. The wound on his ribs seeped sluggishly, refusing to knit. He covered it with his palm but didn’t look away from Lucia. Every shallow breath she took cut deeper than any claw could.