>>Aelin
Something inside me stirred, faint but persistent, like a small flame struggling to stay alive against a raging wind. It was painful and fragile, but it was there.
Even as I lay crumpled on the floor, my soul cracked open and bleeding, that flame refused to die. A mother's spirit. Fierce, unyielding, and eternal. And though I had nothing left to give, nothing left to lose, her words stayed with me, piercing through the darkness that had consumed me for so long.
I slowly sat up
She said Draegon needs me…
The weight around my neck suddenly shifted. The chain that held my pendant snapped without warning, falling onto my lap with a quiet clink. Startled, I stared at it, the small golden locket glinting faintly in the light of the room. My fingers trembled as I picked it up, the metal warm against my skin.
The latch hit the ground and it had opened. Inside was the birth-scale Draegon had given me.
