ログインRoselyn’s POVI didn’t know why, but I felt that he was standing at the edge of a truth that had been following me for years.And I had the uncomfortable suspicion that the strange reaction inside him had begun because of me.Darius glanced at the guards.“Escort the prince and his companions to the council lodge. Keep their weapons with them, but do not allow anyone to wander through the village unaccompanied.”Noah’s expression tightened.“Am I a prisoner?”“No,” Darius replied. “You are an armed stranger who has arrived while our patrol is missing and unknown hunters are moving near our borders. Until I know whether your presence puts my people at risk, I will treat you with the caution the situation demands.”For several seconds, neither man spoke.Then Noah gave a short nod.“Fair enough.”He turned to follow Darius.As he passed me, his shoulder came close to mine.The air changed.No light flashed. No mysterious voice spoke. Nothing visible appeared between us.Yet Noah stopped
Roselyn’s POVThe stranger’s growl shook the silence between us.I stopped halfway down the path, my fingers tightening around the strap of the small satchel hanging across my shoulder. The young man on the road had gone completely still, one hand pressed against his chest as though something beneath his ribs was trying to tear its way out.For a moment, I thought he had been injured.Then I saw his eyes.They were fixed on me with an intensity that made the surrounding forest seem to disappear. His expression held disbelief, anger, and something dangerously close to recognition.But I had never seen him before.I was certain of it.“Are you all right?” I called.He didn’t answer.Behind him stood two men. One was broad-shouldered, with a sword at his hip and the wary expression of someone who expected danger from every direction. The other had a bruise forming along his cheek and kept glancing between his companion and me.The broad-shouldered man moved closer to the stranger.“Your
Gideon’s POVThe hatch locked itself from the inside.For several seconds, none of us moved.I stared at the narrow wooden door beneath the stones, my sword held ready. The metallic click had come from below us. I was certain of it. No wind, no shifting rock, and no movement from any of us could explain what we had heard.Someone was down there.Or something had been built to make us believe someone was.“Step away from it,” I warned.Rowan moved first, pulling me back from the edge of the opening. Noah remained crouched beside the hatch, his eyes fixed on the iron ring attached to its surface.“Your Highness,” I said, “we don’t know what’s beneath us.”“That’s precisely why we need to find out.”“And if it’s a trap?”“Then we discover who set it.”Noah reached for the iron ring.I caught his wrist.He turned toward me, and for a moment, the silence between us was more dangerous than the hidden door.“Let go, Gideon.”“I would rather explain to you why I stopped you than explain to th
Gideon’s POVThe sound of approaching horses grew louder with every passing second.I tightened my grip on my sword and glanced toward the narrow trail behind us. The mountain path offered few places to hide, and steep rocks rose on either side. If the riders intended to trap us, they had chosen their ground well.The hermit had warned us that someone was listening.Now someone was coming.“Your Highness,” I said quietly, “we should move.”Noah stood beside the sheer stone wall, his attention fixed on the bend in the trail. Rowan had taken position a few paces behind us, watching the horses and the route we had travelled. The bronze seal the hermit had given Noah remained hidden beneath the prince’s cloak. His crescent medallion rested separately against his chest.Two objects. Two mysteries.And both had drawn us deeper into danger.The first rider appeared around the bend. His horse was black, his cloak darker, and a silver mask covered his face. Three more riders followed, spreadin
Roselyn’s POVThe horn sounded just as Darius’s practice blade stopped beside my throat.I froze, my breath caught between my lungs and my lips. A heartbeat earlier, I had been watching the movement of his shoulders, trying to predict his next strike. Now the blade was close enough for me to see the faint scratches along its edge.Darius lowered it immediately.“That was not a training signal,” he said.Another horn call rolled across Whispering Haven, shorter and sharper than the first. Darius’s expression hardened.“What happened?” I asked.“The eastern patrol has not returned.”He turned toward the village. I followed, forcing my legs to move even as my thoughts raced ahead. The patrol should have been back before dawn. Darius had told me that earlier, when he took me along the ridge to test how well I could observe the land around us.I had thought it was another lesson.Now I wondered whether he had been preparing me for something like this.We hurried down the mountain path. Fro
Noah’s POVThe mountain kept its secrets well. Morning sunlight spilled across the jagged cliffs, painting the towering rocks in shades of gold and silver. The cool air carried the scent of pine and damp earth, but something else lingered beneath it…Age.I stood before the sheer wall of the stone we discovered the previous day. My eyes moved slowly across its weathered surface, tracing every crack, every stubborn vine, every shadow that refused to give up its depth. The rock looked ordinary. Ancient. Unyielding. And yet something about it pulled at me the way unfinished business always did.“It has to be here,” I murmured.Gideon folded his arms, the leather of his gloves creaking softly. “We have searched till sunset. We have searched with our eyes.”I rested my palm against the cold rock. The chill bit into my skin, steady and indifferent, then I closed my eyes for a moment, listening—not with my ears, but with whatever instinct had kept me alive this long. The mountain did not answ







