Fire and Glass
Kael led her south, across dunes of powdered crystal that cut through boots and skin alike. He spoke little, except to curse the Church and mutter about something called the Waking — a stirring of all the buried shards.
"The Luminous Vault's bleeding light again," he said one night. "When it opens, the world's done. The shards want to go home, and we're the strings that tie them down."
Aerin frowned. "You sound like you know them."
Kael laughed without humor. "Know them? I've buried three who tried to use them."
That night, Aerin dreamed of the stranger in Virelle — the one who'd died in her shop.
This time, he turned toward her and whispered a single word:
"Elys."
She woke with blood on her hands.
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The Hidden Sanctuary
Aerin and Kael eventually reached a ravine filled with pale mist — the entrance to what he called The Hollow, a sanctuary for hunted Shardborn.
Inside, light from embedded crystals glowed softly along the walls.
There were others there — half a dozen men and women, all marked like her. Some were quiet and fearful. Others radiated a strange serenity, as if they'd made peace with their curse.
At the center sat an elderly woman with luminous skin and eyes like starlight.
"This," Kael said quietly, "is Serenya of the Luminarch. She keeps us safe."
Aerin felt the shard in her pack tremble. Serenya's gaze found it instantly.
"You've carried a dangerous gift, child," she said. "The Shard of Reflection doesn't sleep easily."
"You know it?"
"I was there when it fell."