Page 23 of The Sin Binder's Chains

I chuckle, shaking my head. Because he can deny it all he wants. It doesn’t matter. The bond already has its claws in him. And it’s only a matter of time before it pulls tight.

There’s no sky here, not in any way that makes sense. Above us, the Hollow churns in a never-ending mass of almost-clouds, streaks of sickly light breaking through in fractured slashes. The air hums with an unnatural charge, something static and wrong, like the whole place is holding its breath.

And the sound. Or rather, the lack of it. Nothing moves. No wind. No distant creatures. No echo of life beyond our own. Even the horses, the ones we took from the Rift, stand still now, motionless, as if they know this place isn’t meant for them.

I inhale slowly, dragging my gaze across the horizon. Nothing stirs, but that means nothing.

The Hollow doesn’t warn. It just devours.

My fingers curl at my sides, a slow, deliberate movement, my mind already reaching for the possibility that Severin knows we’re here. Would he know? Would he feel the shift, the unnatural presence of something foreign bleeding into his wasteland?

Severin is old. Older than the Academy, older than any mortal kingdom, older than the myths they tried to bury. He was one of us before he became something else. He knows how to hunt. He knows how to wait. And if he’s paying attention, if he knows we’ve stepped foot into his domain.

I don’t think he’ll wait long before making his move. The thought grates against my ribs, sharp and intrusive. It’s one thing to prepare for a fight. It’s another to wait for one to be delivered to you. And something about this, this silence, this emptiness, this unnatural stillness, makes me wonder if we’re already running out of time.

A shift behind me.

Elias exhales, rubbing the back of his neck. “Okay, so, totally unrelated, but, uh. If we did get attacked right now, do you think I’d have enough time to heroically grab Luna and ride off into the sunset, or am I immediately dying?”

I don’t look at him. “You’re immediately dying.”

He sighs. “Yeah. That checks out.”

I roll my shoulders, dragging my gaze over the distant horizon one last time. Nothing moves. Nothing stirs.

But that doesn’t mean we’re alone.

I have a feeling we won’t be for much longer.

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