CHAPTER 52: THE HIDDEN HEIR
In the days after we took down the viper banner at Black Rock, we stayed to help repair homes, restock supplies, and begin mapping the land around the holdfast according to the true boundary records Corin had preserved. The mood shifted fast — what had once been a place of rigid silence and unspoken fear now rang with laughter and debate, as people gathered to share stories and plan for markets and shared guard rosters. But even as we settled in, I noticed Gareth kept to the edges of every gathering, his gaze distant, as if watching for something no one else could see.
Late one evening, I found him sitting alone on the outer wall, staring out at the moonlit hills. He did not startle when I sat beside him, or turn to look at me.
“You think this is the end of i
