The camp had been erected quickly along the northern edge of the Ashen Pass. Fires burned low. Sentinels stood watch in rotating shifts. Horses remained restless, snorting nervously whenever the wind shifted.The valley itself felt wrong. Savannah couldn't explain it any better than that.Wrong. The mist never fully lifted. The silence never felt natural.And every few minutes, someone would swear they had seen movement among the ancient stone markers. Nobody laughed anymore. Not after the children.Savannah sat beside the fire wrapped in a heavy cloak, staring into the flames. Grayson sat across from her. Neither spoke. They hadn't spoken much since entering the Pass.The place demanded silence.Or perhaps fear did.A log shifted in the fire.Crack.Savannah jumped.Grayson noticed immediately."You should try sleeping."She shook her head."I won't.""You're exhausted.""So are you."
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