Gabriel's blade scraped against the wyvern's ribs, searching for gaps between bone.
Tess worked beside him in silence, her sword cutting through tissue and membrane. Neither spoke. What was there to say?
The wyvern's body was still warm despite the cold, its blood still flowing sluggishly through dead veins. Steam rose from the opening they'd carved, visible in the fading light.
Gabriel's hands were steady despite the exhaustion pulling at him. Despite knowing what came next.
The voice had returned the moment the wyvern died.
Not screaming anymore. Calm now. Patient.
The heart. Consume the heart. Complete the ritual.
Gabriel's jaw tightened as he worked.
Complete the ritual. The words echoed in his mind, mixing with fragments of memories that weren't his. Ceremony. Preparation. The heart crushed and mixed with sedatives to ease the transformation.
He had none of that.
Just raw desperation and a body that was tearing itself apart from an incomplete awakening.
