Sun in Chains
Kael grunted, adjusting his footing. Ayla saw the exact second the thirty-year-old timber gave up its ghost. There was a sickening, dry groan of wood, a frantic “Anja—” from Kael, and then the world disappeared into a monumental cloud of ancient dust and thatch.
"The Thaw Gathering"
The gathering continued into the evening. They ate Anja’s stew and teased Kael about his ‘skylight.’ Ayla watched the children—Leo whispering to Rowan about wolf tracks, Sarah holding her stone—and felt the deep, steady comfort of the Reach. The wind rustled the willow branches, a familiar symphony she had heard a thousand times.
"The Thaw Gathering"
Oren didn’t look back. He produced his small, bone whistle from a pocket and gave it a cheerful blast to get the bird’s attention, then followed it with another mangled vocalization. “I am perfectly accurate, Ayla. The birds in the south have developed a bit of a drawl this season; that’s all. I’m meeting them halfway. It’s called diplomacy.”
"Breath of Sedge"
“Wear it. Lose it. Tie it to a goat. It’s yours, Sarah,” Oren answered, stepping forward to drop it into her hand. The silk felt like nothing against his rough palm. “I found it in a trading post near the coast. It looked like it belonged to someone who had places to go.”
Sarah closed her fingers around it, the bright color disappearing into her fist. She didn’t say thank you—that wasn’t the way of the Reach—but she stayed where she was.
"Keep Walking"
Elara reached down and found a smooth, palm-sized stone. She tossed it high and wide, aiming for a pool of standing meltwater hidden behind a screen of dwarf birch. The plunk was heavy and wet, followed by a series of smaller ripples that sounded like something large wading into the muck.
...
The younger soldier was practically hyperventilating, his eyes darting toward every movement of the willow. “It’s in the water now! It’s circling!”
"Weald's Whisper"
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“Thank you, Colonel,” she said, bobbing a quick, informal sort of half-curtsy. “Truly. A life-saver. I’d have been here until breakfast otherwise, trying to figure out why the Realm needs so much gravel for a place called Black-Water.”
“You passed it twice,” Priest noted.
She paused, her head tilting like a bird’s. “Did I? Well. That explains the déjà vu.”
"Lost Twice"
