He paused. Then added, "Also... I want a secondary team sent toward the 'dark' Sanctum. I need to know what happened there. But they're not to engage—only observe."
"And the Whispering Stone?" Kaelor asked. "It's calling... even now. Some of my kin feel it in their dreams."
Ethan turned back toward the map, his eyes distant.
"That Stone isn't done with us. And I doubt it was the only one. It's a key—but we don't know what lock it fits into yet."
---
Later That Night
The Sanctum slept. But Ethan could not.
He stood on a high balcony, overlooking the cracked stone horizon of the Great Labyrinth. Far to the northeast, a faint red glow pulsed every few seconds—like a heartbeat from the earth itself.
Kaeryx lay beside him in the shadows, its scales catching the faint glimmer of the rune flame. Its eye cracked open once, watching Ethan, before closing again.
"What are you really?" Ethan asked the dragon without turning.
