CHAPTER 48: THE WEIGHT OF DOUBT
By mid‑autumn, the first hard frosts dusted the ridge tops, and the valley hummed with the work of preparing for winter. Storehouses were stacked high with grain and dried meat; firewood was cut and stacked in neat rows; riders patrolled the borders in pairs, their breath pluming white in the crisp air. Outwardly, everything looked steady. But beneath the surface, a quiet unease had begun to spread, seeded by the shadow faction that still lurked at the edges of our lands.
It started small, as such things always do. A farmer from the southern homesteads arrived at the main hall one morning, his face tight with worry, saying he had heard the council planned to seize all livestock and redistribute it equally — regardless of who had raised or paid for it. Befo
