The dawn was raw and cold, the sky streaked with clouds that seemed to cling to the earth. Maya stood at the edge of the village, her satchel heavy with Soren’s sister’s book, a waterskin, and the pendant that once belonged to her mother. The chorus hummed in her chest, steady but insistent, like a guide pointing west. The broken seal in the woods had been a spark, and now the path ahead felt both inevitable and treacherous.
Kade, Soren, Eliah, and Tari gathered beside her, their faces set with determination. The village watched them go, a quiet crowd of scentless wolves, their eyes reflecting hope and fear in equal measure. Rhea, still weak but standing, gave Maya a nod from the healers’ lodge—a silent promise to hold the line while they were gone.
Joren had stayed silent during the pre
