Silence.
Then,
The pressure vanished.
The ship lurched forward as if released from invisible hands.
Jude stumbled, gasping for breath, his heart hammering in his chest.
The presence was gone.
The sea was still black. The stars were still wrong. But the weight had lifted.
Mira let out a shuddering breath. "What the hell was that?"
Vaelin's gaze remained fixed ahead. "A gatekeeper."
Jude swallowed hard. "A gatekeeper of what?"
Vaelin turned, his eyes cold and knowing.
"The threshold between life and something older."
Jude's stomach twisted.
Mira cursed under her breath.
Eldara exhaled, trying to steady herself.
The ship continued forward, cutting through the unnatural sea, leaving the presence behind.
But Jude knew, deep in his bones, that whatever that thing was,
It wasn't finished with him.
