The storm does not break over the valley.
It circles.
Waiting.
Aurora feels it in her bones long before the messenger arrives.
The air is too still. The birds too quiet. Even the wolves training in the clearing move as if something presses down on their shoulders.
The bond hums low at the back of her ribs.
Unsettled.
Not fear.
Anticipation.
She stands near the ridge when the courier stumbles into view, mud-splattered and pale.
"Council summons," he gasps. "Emergency session. Immediate attendance required."
Aurora doesn't need to ask why.
She feels it.
Kade steps beside her, eyes sharp.
"What happened?" he asks.
The courier swallows hard.
"Northern border. A Marked healer… she's been arrested."
Silence drops like a blade.
"For what?" Aurora asks quietly.
The courier's voice trembles.
"They're charging her with inciting magical instability. Claiming her ritual caused crop failure."
The rumor.
Weaponized.
Aurora's jaw tightens.
"Who ordered it?" Kade asks.
