Kora’s POV
The wind bit at my skin as we climbed higher into the northern mountains. The air grew thinner with every breath, sharp enough to sting the lungs, but I couldn’t stop. Something—an invisible pull, deep in my chest—was guiding me forward.
Mara walked behind me, muttering curses every few steps, while Edward took the lead. He was built for this terrain; his movements were steady, measured. I could see the tension in the way his shoulders flexed beneath his cloak, though. The silence between us wasn’t peace. It was focus. Expectation.
We were walking into something we didn’t understand, and all of us knew it.
The snow had started again, light at first, then thick enough to blur the world into shades of gray. By the time we reached the ridge, visibility had dropped to almost not
