POV: Ayla

The night before the summit, the air in the compound feels thick, heavy with an electric, pressurized charge that makes the hair on my arms stand on end.

It is the feeling of a storm that has been brewing for centuries finally deciding to break.

I am in my room, sitting on the edge of the bed and trying to force myself to breathe through the frantic, staccato rhythm of my own heart, when the door clicks open.

Caius enters first, his stride purposeful, carrying a stack of leather-bound documents that look heavy enough to anchor a ship.

He is followed by Ryker, who scans the room with...