C217 A VILLAGE THAT TASTED BLOOD

The first scream came from the lower city.

It tore through the dawn like fabric ripping under strain.

Aria jerked awake.

Her body reacted before her mind caught up—heart beating, breath shallow, fingers curling into the blankets as though bracing against something invisible. The mark near her neck burned furiously, not hot this time but urgent, alive in a manner it had not been before