The forest behind their village glowed with the last gold of summer light, sun filtering in molten ribbons through a lattice of ancient oak leaves. The branches whispered to one another with secrets that only the woods and the witches could hear. Two girls—barefoot and breathless—ran through the trees, laughter trailing in their wake like wind-borne magic.
Selene was the quieter of the two. Taller, with sharp cheekbones and thick lashes, she moved like a shadow wrapped in silk, her silver hair tumbling behind her like moonlight in motion. Her twin, Azeala, was all fire and chaos. Her dark curls bounced as she ran, and her eyes—once a mirror of Selene's gentle gray—now burned with an amber hue that had grown more vivid with each passing year.
They were both sixteen. And the power had started to come.