Chapter 24: The Stone Crow's Shadow

The magpie feather was warm in Leo's palm, pulsing with a faint, rhythmic heat like a second heartbeat. The shadows it cast on the walls weren't just dark—they were wrong. They moved against the light, leaning east, stretching like fingers pointing toward the old city park. Leo watched them for a long moment, feeling the Seal pulse against his chest in sync with the feather's glow. It was like the...