"Betrayal doesn't roar like thunder, it seeps like poison, quiet and fatal."
The crystal on my palm pulsed once, then again, sharper. It was not the light it emitted. It was a tug. A thread being pulled across realms. The enchantment had taken longer than usual to awaken, but now the connection surged clear, and I felt the presence on the other side like a heartbeat finally aligning with mine.
"Veyric," I whispered, and the name was both an invocation and a plea. The shimmer of the crystal stilled. Then a faint voice emerged, roughened by wariness and sleep deprivation.
"Fenris," Veyric breathed, relief filtering through the bond like a sigh. "I thought you'd gone silent like the rest."
"I had to vanish for a while," I said, crouching near the runes still glowing faintly on the sanctuary floor. "Too many eyes, even through the veil. But I am here now. And we need to talk."
Then: "Is it about her? Is Ellowen safe?"
