Kael’s POV
By the third morning after Dareth’s visit, Ravaryn had grown quieter.
Too quiet.
The kind of quiet that lives just before a storm breaks — still, watchful, trembling at the edges. The snow never stopped falling now; it lay heavy on rooftops and turned the world white enough that even the walls seemed to blur.
But I could feel what the others couldn’t: the silence wasn’t peace. It was listening.
The fortress had started to remember.
Doors that used to creak now stayed closed. The hearths burned slower, even when fed fresh logs. And when I stood in the great hall, the air felt thick, as though something unseen waited just out of reach.
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The council meeting that morning was a disaster before it began.
Elder Thasson spoke of tradition and omens until his voice broke; Cap
