Diaspor Aspenwind's Arc

Chapter 1 of 11

Diaspor woke to the sound of wings — three distinct hums cutting through the pre-dawn quiet. He didn't move. He counted the circling patterns above his camp, mapped their orbits, and confirmed what his body already knew. The scouts had found him. Nightshade was close now. Hours, not days. He slid his hand to the golden sword lying beside the lavender bedroll. The bushes overhead had concealed him through the night, but concealment meant nothing now. The falconbees circled tighter, their gold-striped bodies catching the first pale light. They weren't attacking. They were marking. Reporting. Leading their master straight to him. Diaspor rose in one smooth motion and kicked dirt over the bedroll. Near the edge of camp, something black caught his eye — a withered plant with curled petals that shouldn't have been there yesterday. Golden mist hung around it like breath. Nightshade's calling card. A message that she knew exactly where he was and wanted him to know it too. He strapped the amethyst amulet tight against his chest and checked the blade's weight. Two weeks of leading her northeast, and now the chase collapsed into hours. Good. He was done running. The next time Nightshade found him, one of them would stop breathing, and the library's location would stay buried or finally be safe. He looked up at the circling scouts and let them see him clearly. Let them bring her.