Valtira.
I do not know how I managed to reach home before the moon reached its peak.
I remember the wind cutting against my face as I urged the horse forward. I remember the way Raven’s small body leaned against me, quiet in a way that unsettled me more than tears would have. I remember refusing, utterly refusing, to turn back even once.
If I had looked behind me, I might have broken.
So I did not.
I rode until the cavern was nothing but memory and the howls faded into the night air.
But Raven’s question did not fade.
It followed me all the way home.
Is Zarek my father, like they said?
She had asked it softly. Not accusing. Not afraid. Simply wanting truth.
And I had not answered.
I could not.
The silence between us afterward tore at something deep inside me. I had faced enemie
