Nolan POV
By the time I reached Moonstone, dusk had already begun to settle — made darker by the storm that was brewing overhead, threatening rain at any moment.
Every shadow between the trees felt like it might move. Even the birds had quieted, their silence threading into the trunks like a warning. The calm before the storm.
Moonstone’s outer patrol station sat just beyond the ward line, a low stone structure half-claimed by moss. A cluster of warriors waited there, armor muted by the settling dark.
Cassian stood at the center of them, broad-shouldered and rigid, his usual easy confidence replaced by a grim focus I rarely saw from him. It was only natural. This was the first time I could ever remember Moonstone being targetted directly.
At least, in our lifetimes.
I made my way
