The snow had stopped during the night, leaving the forest unnaturally quiet.
I stood at the edge of the camp clearing as dawn stretched pale light through the trees. The cold air carried the faint scent of pine and frozen earth, but beneath it lingered something sharper, the tension of an approaching encounter.
Two days.
That was how long it would take to reach the Stone Valley.
Two days to meet a woman who had begun gathering rogues under her banner.
Two days to determine whether she would become an ally… or a problem.
Behind me, boots crunched softly over the frozen ground.
“You really plan to go yourself?” Tarek asked.
I didn’t turn immediately. My gaze remained fixed on the northern ridge where thin clouds drifted across the sky.
“Yes.”
“You’re the leader of this coalition, E
