Chapter 10 The Dream in the Flame

Maxine lay in her bed beneath the slanted ceiling of the old Carpathian orphanage, her breath misting in the moonlight that spilled through the frosted window. The fire in the hearth crackled low, but the shadows in her room felt heavier than usual.

That night, the dream pulled her fast and deep.

She stood in a forest of black trees, the branches clawing at a blood-red sky. The ground pulsed beneath her bare feet, humming with whispers-hundreds of them. The voices didn't speak in any language she recognized, but she understood them all the same:

> "Daughter of flame... She remembers you."

Then the forest opened, and Maxine stepped into a clearing lit by a circle of blue fire.

In the center stood a woman-tall, regal, and terrible in her beauty. Her silver hair flowed like a storm cloud, and her violet eyes glowed with fury and sorrow. She wore a scorched cloak, torn at the hem. Her wrists still bore the faint shimmer of burned silver shackles.

"Who are you?" Maxine asked, though the answer ached in her bones.

The woman turned slowly. "I am what they tried to erase."

"Elira..."

"Yes." Her voice was like fire-gentle, yet consuming. "And you... are the ember I left behind."

Maxine shook her head. "That's not possible. I'm just-"

"You are a Tribrid," Elira interrupted, her voice rising. "Wolf, Vampire, Witch. Three lines converged in you. Hidden. Suppressed. But no longer."

The flames around them surged, and Maxine stumbled back.

"I don't want any of this!"

"You don't get to want," Elira whispered, suddenly inches from her face. "You were chosen."

The flames licked Maxine's feet, but they didn't burn. Instead, they whispered secrets-words in Elira's voice:

> "Find the Seal. Before they do. Before it breaks again."

> "Trust no blood."

> "Kael is not what he seems."

> "Awaken the Hollow."

Elira placed her hand over Maxine's heart. A jolt of white-hot power surged through her.

"Wake up."

---

Maxine screamed as she bolted upright in bed. Sweat drenched her sheets. Her fingers trembled.

But it was what she saw next that stole the breath from her lungs:

Her bedside candle had burned cold hours ago... yet the flame was dancing again-blue.

And in the mirror, her eyes glowed violet.