THE LAST DAWN Chapter 18: The Child of Light The golden light was warm. It wrapped around Rowan like a blanket, like a memory, like a dream he had forgotten he had dreamed. The child stood before him, small and still, his dark eyes bright, his dark hair falling over his forehead. He wore simple … Read more
THE LAST DAWN Chapter 17: The Heart of Bone The chamber of bones was colder than before. The walls pulsed with pale blue light. The skulls on the throne seemed to watch him, their empty eyes following his every movement. The man in white stood before him, his robe of bone clattering softly, his silver … Read more
THE LAST DAWN Chapter 16: The Mother’s Ghost The room was warm. The sun streamed through the window, golden and bright, casting long shadows on the wooden floor. The air smelled of bread and honey and something else — something that reminded Rowan of childhood, of safety, of love. His mother sat on the bed. … Read more
THE LAST DAWN Chapter 15: The Chamber of Bones The darkness beyond the door was not empty. Bones lined the walls — thousands of bones, millions of bones, stacked and arranged in patterns that hurt to look at. Skulls and ribs and femurs and phalanges, all fused together, all pulsing with pale blue light, all … Read more
THE LAST DAWN Chapter 14: The Second Trial The room crumbled. The walls turned to dust. The floor turned to ash. The ceiling turned to sky — not the blue sky of morning, not the black sky of night, but a gray sky, empty and hungry, like the eye of a dead god. Morwen was … Read more
THE LAST DAWN Chapter 13: The Weight of Choice The room was silent. Morwen stood before Rowan, her silver eyes fixed on his face, her dark hair floating in a wind that did not exist. Her hands were silver, her skin was pale, her lips were parted as if she were about to speak. But … Read more
THE LAST DAWN Chapter 12: The Vision The room did not fade. It shattered. The walls cracked. The floor split. The ceiling crumbled. The darkness poured through — not the cold darkness of the hall, not the hungry darkness of the Citadel, a different darkness. Older. Deeper. The darkness of memory. The darkness of grief. … Read more
THE LAST DAWN Chapter 11: The First Sacrifice The room was cold. Colder than the hall. Colder than the Citadel. Colder than anything Rowan had ever felt. The walls were bare, the floor was stone, the window looked out onto nothing — not the gray waste, not the black sky, just emptiness, flat and endless … Read more
THE LAST DAWN Chapter 10: The Door of Blood The door pulsed. The red light blazed. The hunger screamed. Rowan walked toward it, his knife in his hand, his heart pounding, his breath shallow. The man in silver watched him, his silver eyes bright, his black hair floating in a wind that did not exist. … Read more
THE LAST DAWN Chapter 9: The Blood of the First The room grew colder. The torches burned lower. The shadows pressed closer. The hunger stirred deeper. Rowan stood at the center of the chamber, his knife in his hand, his heart pounding, his breath shallow. The man in silver watched him. “Become you,” Rowan said. … Read more
