Six months into our two year commitment, the first genuine opportunity for direct contact with Ismene arrived from an unexpected direction.A merchant caravan traveling through the eastern territories reported an unusual encounter, a woman matching Ismene’s description who had approached one of their traders privately, asking careful questions about our kingdom’s recent activities without revealing her own identity or purpose.“She did not attempt to recruit him, or threaten him, or gather any obviously strategic intelligence,” the trader explained, once Dara had arranged for him to give a full account directly to the council. “She simply asked whether he had heard anything about the Lycan Queen’s youngest daughter, and whether the restoration project she led had continued despite recent difficulties.”“She is monitoring us,” I said, exchanging a glance with Rowan. “Watching for our response to what happened at the mountain.”“Or she is curious,” Elin said slowly, “whether the project
Last Updated : 2026-11-02 Read more