The black stone pulled William east.
He felt it the moment he stepped outside the city gates. The stone in his pocket pulsed like a second heartbeat, tugging toward the mountains. Not hard. Not urgent. Just a steady, persistent pull.
Elara walked beside him. She carried a small pack with food, water, bandages. No weapons. She had never been comfortable with blades.
"The stone is guiding you," she said.
"It's guiding us."
"How far?"
"I don't know."
They walked.
---
The first day was easy. The road was familiar—the same road William had traveled to the eastern villages. They passed farmers, traders, travelers. No one recognized him. No one asked questions.
At sunset, they made camp in a grove of old oak trees.
"The council will notice you're gone," Elara said.
"Julian will cover
