The storm above the River Sile refused to calm.
Wind lashed through the silver trees as if the entire realm had inhaled in fear.
Donato stood motionless at the river's edge, the crimson shimmer reflecting in his eyes like liquid fire.
The black book hovered above the water, pages turning as if time itself was writing through it.
Jackson shouted over the roar. "Donato, what's it doing?"
Donato's voice came low, distant, entranced. "It's not doing anything, Jackson. It's listening."
"To what?" Princess Elowen demanded.
Donato lifted his head, gaze cutting through the storm. "To her."
The moment the words left his lips, lightning split the sky. The book responded, one violent surge of power rippling outward in a wave that sent them staggering backward.
The sphere of water around it shattered, droplets freezing midair before vanishing into light.
And then, silence.
The book was gone....
Only the echo of its pulse lingered, faint but steady alive, yet nowhere to be seen.
