Chapter 36
The ground beneath the Grove no longer whispered in grief.
It breathed.
Roots stretched outward in slow circles, thickening beneath the soil, threading toward the edges of the territory where borderstones had long marked separation. The veil thinned, not torn, but reformed.
Not erased.
Redrawn.
At the center of this slow-blooming stood a rising of earth and ash-ringed stone. No spire. No banners. Just a hollow surrounded by saplings bearing names no longer feared.
Echo Hollow.
The Birthplace of Accord
Elira stood in the Hollow’s center with Maera, Kael, and Cyra. Councilor Rhian and her delegation remained nearby, keeping their distance without withdrawing.
The new ground has not been claimed. It had been offered.
And something in the Hollow resonated deeper than spee
