The valley knows every secret you’ve ever buried.
The next morning, Kael looked much better.
The dark veins that had spread across his neck the night before were gone, but the exhaustion in his eyes remained.
He insisted he was fine.
I knew he wasn’t.
Still, I didn’t argue.
Not because I believed him.
Because I knew what it felt like to hide pain behind a smile.
By sunrise, our camp had been packed away.
The soldiers mounted their horses while Rowan checked the route one last time.
“The Valley of Echoes is less than an hour away,” he announced.
A nervous silence settled over the convoy.
Even the bravest warriors looked uneasy.
I rode beside Kael, glancing at the worried faces around us.
“What’s wrong?” I asked quietly.
Kael kept his eyes on the road ahead.
“You’ll understan
