The valley was not quiet.
Elinora knew it the moment she woke. The hum that usually lay steady beneath the stone of the ruins had grown restless, rippling in uneven pulses that carried through her bones. She pushed herself up from the bedroll, the Spine cold and heavy in her palm, and felt the dais beneath her vibrating in a way that wasn’t natural.
Her wolf stirred. It knows you’re thinking of leaving.
Riven was already awake, sharpening his blade against a whetstone with deliberate, steady strokes. Kaelen sat near the broken wall, shadows curling lazily from his fingertips as he toyed with them like smoke.
Neither of them spoke until she stood.
“You dreamed again,” Riven said without looking up.
She didn’t ask how he knew. The ache behind her eyes was enough to tell the story. “The
