The passage led us upward, emerging not on the treacherous eastern ridge, but from a hidden fissure in the rock face much closer to the Keep, concealed by a thick grove of ironwood trees. The sun was high, marking the passage of a full day since the ambush. A day in which the pack had mourned us and the vultures had begun to circle.
The air outside was a shock—vivid, cold, and real. But the world had changed. Or I had. The connection to the mountain was a constant, low hum in the back of my mind, a new sense I hadn't possessed before. I could feel the weight of the stone, the slow, patient life of the forest, the frantic, buzzing energy of the Keep ahead.
Borin took a deep, clearing breath, his practical nature reasserting itself. "We need to get to the Alpha. Immediately."
"No," I said
