Every youth in the clearing, regardless of their arrogance or fear, held their breath. The damp, mist-heavy air of the Shamanic Grove suddenly felt as though it had been pulled thin, replaced by a crushing, invisible gravity.
Even Sol felt a strange, involuntary tightening in his chest. The endless sky within him seemed to darken slightly, the golden liquid bubbling with a sudden, violent hunger.
"These are the undisputed kings of their respective territories," Zephyra said, not looking at the youths, but staring down at the Blood jades with a mixture of awe and terror. "They do not run in packs, they lead them. They do not scavenge, they conquer.
