Chapter Twenty-Four: The Raven's Cry
Chapter Twenty-Four
The Raven’s Cry
The raven arrived bleeding.
It struck the healing lodge window shortly before dawn with enough force to c***k one of the outer panes.
Willow woke at the sound.
Not fully.
Her body reacted first—heart lurching, hands reaching for a weapon no longer kept beneath her pillow. The room remained dark except for the low orange glow of the hearth beyond the open doorway.
No tower.
No guards.
No five locks.
Atlas sat in the chair near the threshold, exactly where he had been when she fell asleep.
He was awake before the second scrape against the glass.
His hand closed around the knife at his belt.
Willow pushed herself upright.
Pain pulsed through her splinted ankle.
“What is it?”
Atlas did not answer immediat
