Dawn had barely begun to bleed a pale grey across the frost-encrusted windows when a piercing scream shattered the morning silence of the bedchamber.
"DADA!"
Zaliyah jolted awake, every instinct screaming of rogue beasts or snow monsters breaching the wards. He threw off the blankets in a blind panic, his heart hammering against his ribs as he scrambled off the bed.
Before his feet even hit the floor, spatial distortions tore open across the room. With flashes of blinding light, Iruna, Harun and Talha spilled out of the magical rifts simultaneously, weapons drawn and eyes scanning for threats.
"What is it?!" Iruna gasped, chest heaving, her hands glowing with defensive magic.
"What happened?" Harun barked, his blue eyes locked on the door, muscles coiled to strike.
In the center of the grand bed, Sylaris sat upright. She was staring at a long length of dark fabric lying on the mattress, her small hands clutching her head in horror.
