CHAPTER ELEVEN
I slip out of the council chamber, my skin prickling with unease and my heart hammering against my ribcage. The stone walls that have always felt like protection now suffocate me, whispers of the elders echoing behind me as I flee. I can't let them see this—this weakness, this fracture in my loyalty.
The mountain air is a slap of cold clarity as I emerge into the spring. It's a shock, but not enough to douse the turmoil inside me. My feet find their own path, instinctively seeking solitude among the towering pines and the carpet of pine needles that hushes my footsteps. The snow has mostly retreated to the highest peaks, and the earth beneath my boots is soft and yielding from the spring thaw.
My steps slow as I reach a clearing, a secret place where wildflowers dare to b
