CHAPTER 58:
The ridge came into view late on the fifth day, rising above the valley like a crown of stone and light. The journey back had been slow — we traveled with nearly two hundred people who had been lost to the dream, many still weak, still shaken, still piecing together the pieces of themselves that had been taken. No one spoke much. The silence between us wasn’t empty. It was heavy with what we had seen, what we had felt, and what was waiting in the dark.
Word of our return had ridden ahead. When we reached the gate, the courtyard was filled — not with soldiers standing at attention, but with people. Families, elders, children, all waiting quietly. Knox and Jax stood at the front, their faces tight with worry that softened into relief when they saw us — and the ones we’d brought
