CHAPTER 72WHAT THE SEER WOULD NOT EXPLAIN Chaos tried very hard to happen. The Hollow had nearly committed to it. Wolves were half-risen, growls low in their throats, several glaring at the vampires like old grudges had suddenly received legal permission. Mira still knelt beside Rylan with one hand on his shoulder and the other on her blade. Seris stood in front of them with the bored posture of someone ready to become catastrophic. Darian kept Niko behind him, though Niko was attempting to peek around every available angle. Then the old woman descended from the cliff. She did not hurry. She simply began walking, and the entire valley moved aside before she reached them. No one announced her. No one needed to. Even Garron lowered his head.She wore layered wolf-hide robes stitched with silver thread and bone charms that clicked softly as she moved. Her white eyes looked blind, yet somehow saw too much. Her hair was braided down her back in

CHAPTER 74BLOOD IN THE GATEThe third horn rolled across Ashfang Hollow like thunder trapped in stone. Everything changed at once. Below the upper springs, fires were covered. Children vanished indoors with the speed of long practice. Wolves who had been laughing moments earlier moved with sharpened purpose, grabbing weapons, taking positions, calling clipped orders across bridges and terraces. Doors barred. Archers climbed the cliff paths. Rylan was already moving when Garron’s voice rose from the lower square.“To the gate.”The Seer remained seated beside the steaming channel, entirely unimpressed by urgency.“You should hide,” Rylan said.She snorted. “If they were worth hiding from, I would have smelled it sooner.” Then she pointed down the path. “Go be important somewhere inconvenient.” He went.————The main gate of Ashfang Hollow was less a gate than a narrow stone pass between towering cliffs, rei

CHAPTER 76TEETH TURNED INWARDBy morning, Ashfang Hollow knew more lies than facts. That was impressive even by community standards. The news moved faster than smoke. Before sunrise, kitchen workers were whispering over stew pots that the Ghost of Vane had once strangled three nobles with their own medals. By breakfast, children were daring each other to touch the guest quarters wall and run before the ghost came through it. By midday, someone claimed he drank moonlight and could walk without casting a shadow. Rylan sat outside the guest quarters on a low stone ledge, sharpening a knife that did not need sharpening. It gave his hands something to do while wolves stared from a distance and pretended not to. Some passed quickly. Some slowed openly. Younger wolves looked curious. Older ones looked like they had swallowed stones. Niko approached carrying two skewers of roasted meat. He stopped three steps away. Held one out. Then pulled it back. Then held it out again. Rylan watched him

CHAPTER 78TEETH AGAINST TEETHThe next morning came to Ashfang Hollow without warmth. Usually the valley woke in layers. Hammering from the upper terraces. Children shouting through the bridges. Kitchen smoke rising with the smell of bread and roasted meat. Patrol calls from the ridge paths. Life liked noise when it believed tomorrow would arrive. This morning, the Hollow was quiet. Not peaceful quiet. Watching quiet. Doors opened only when needed. Conversations stayed low and brief. Wolves moved in pairs where they had once moved alone. The laughter that usually lived somewhere in the valley had packed its things and left before dawn.Rylan stood outside the guest quarters and looked over the terraces below. Guards had doubled near the paths. Two archers watched the lower bridge openly. Another pretended not to watch from a roofline badly enough to insult stealth as a profession.“Popular,” Seris said from behind him.He did not turn. “You enjoy this too much.”“I enjoy honesty. Fe

CHAPTER 80ROADS THE PREFERS SILENCE By dawn-cycle, the lower courtyard had been cleared for departure. No banners were raised. No servants lined the walls in sentimental rows. No one embraced anyone and promised safe return like theatre actors trapped in poor writing. Morvain departures were practical things. Packs checked. Lies prepared. Lucien descended the eastern steps dressed for travel in plain dark layers, no crest visible, no jewel worth stealing, no sign that he belonged to one of the oldest hidden blood houses in the region. Which, in fairness, was the point. Mara was already waiting beside the mounts.“You’re late,” she said. He didn’t say anything. Two others stood nearby. The first was Kael, broad-shouldered, silent, and built like someone who solved problems by reducing their options. The second was Tovin, lean and sharp-faced, with the expression of a man who trusted maps more than people.Lucien glanced at them. “You brought charm.”“I brought competence,” Mara sai