The convoy left Veilwood under a sky of heavy, bruised clouds.
It was a smaller party this time—just two armored SUVs and a supply truck, carrying enough provisions for two weeks. Lucian had insisted on keeping the force lean and fast. Speed was their only advantage against the spreading darkness.
Evelyn sat in the lead vehicle, the map of the First Alpha’s tomb spread across her lap. The parchment had been carefully preserved, the ink still sharp despite its age. The route led north, beyond the Shadow Peaks, into a region simply labeled as The Bleak.
The landscape changed rapidly as they drove. The forests thinned, the hills flattened, and the ground turned to a hard, barren frost. The sky grew a pale, sickly gray, and the sun, if it was even there, was hidden behind a veil of perpetua
