The climb out of the valley was steeper than it had looked from above.
Roots clawed through the soil like grasping fingers, and the ground grew colder beneath my boots with every step upward. The forest thinned as we gained elevation, trees giving way to wind-bent pines and slabs of exposed stone etched with half-erased symbols.
Old paths.
Not roads—intentions.
Kael moved ahead of me now, not because he was leading, but because the land demanded it. I felt it in the way the bond adjusted, subtle and responsive, like it was learning new rules alongside me.
“You’re quiet,” he said without turning.
“I’m listening,” I replied.
That earned a huff of dry amusement. “To what?”
“The ground,” I said, then grimaced. “That sounded mad, didn’t it?”
“No,” Kael said after a moment. “It sounded
