A story like this may begin with one person's imagination, but it rarely grows there alone. First, to my children: thank you for the patience, encouragement, and reminders that creativity is worth making room for. You have already heard your place in this story through the dedication, but your influence belongs here as well. The simple act of believing in someone else's ideas can mean more than you realize. To my family, thank you for allowing me the time and space to disappear into a world that existed mostly inside my head while I was building Ravenfall. Writing requires a strange balance between being present in the real world and wandering somewhere else entirely. Your support made room for both. To the invertebrate community, thank you for the inspiration, knowledge, conversations, discoveries, and endless examples of how fascinating the natural world can be. The people who keep, breed, study, photograph, share, and simply appreciate these animals have helped remind me that there is always more to discover when you are willing to look closely. To everyone who has ever encouraged me to create something instead of convincing me that I shouldn't, thank you. Sometimes a few words of encouragement arrive at exactly the right moment. And finally, to you—the reader. Thank you for choosing to open this book. You could have spent your time anywhere, reading anything, and instead you stepped into Ravenfall. I don't take that lightly. I hope these pages give you a reason to wonder, a reason to question what you think you know, and perhaps a reminder that growing older doesn't have to mean growing out of imagination. There are seven books in this story. This is where the web begins.
Chapter 53