Chapter 13: Shadows of the Whispering WoodsNadia’s POVBy the time night swallowed the eastern pass, the old trees and ancient stones looked more like gravestones. The wind that used to chew at our cheeks turned into a heavy fog, thick and close enough to taste. It pressed in on the canopy above us, a choking kind of dark that let sound travel in weird ways. For eight hours, we rode without pause—skipping the main road for rough hunters’ trails tangled in the valley beneath the capital ridge.I felt it everywhere—in my legs, my back, even in my jaw. Everything hurts. But I bit it back. No way was I going to complain in front of these soldiers.When the vanguard finally stopped, we tucked ourselves into a narrow stone hollow between towering pines. I slid off my horse, and my legs almost folded—no warning, just buckling under me. Before I went down, someone’s arm wrapped around my waist: warm, strong, familiar."I’m fine," I said, though I don’t think I convinced myself. My back press
Last Updated : 2026-09-29
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