The ground trembled beneath my boots.Not from hunters.From something deeper.I froze in the middle of the courtyard.Around me, warriors rushed toward the southern wall after Rowan’s warning. Snow scattered under their feet. Steel clanged. Voices rose in sharp orders.But the vibration under the stone floor lasted only a moment.Then it stopped.Darian noticed my pause.“You feel that?” he asked.“Yes.”Rowan turned.“What?”“The ground,” I said.He stomped once on the stone.“Feels normal to me.”Mira stepped beside me.Her eyes narrowed slightly.“No,” she murmured. “She’s right.”Rowan frowned.“You felt it too?”“Yes.”Kael moved closer to the wall, his gaze sweeping the mountains around the valley.“What kind of tremor?”“Short,” I replied. “But strong.”Darian shrugged.“Maybe one of the hunter wagons hit a rock.”“No,” Mira said.“That felt different.”The wind pushed through the courtyard gate, carrying the sharp scent of silver from the distant camps.Rowan sighed.“Great.
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