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“It wouldn’t be much use if it was in plain sight.” There’s a dry note to his voice that makes me want to roll my eyes.

We resume our climb, and I find myself searching the mountainside for any sign of the fortress I saw in my dream. But nothing appears from this distance, mist and cloud obscuring my sight.

The final ascent is barely more than a track clinging to the mountainside. In places we have to use hands as well as feet, climbing rather than walking. The storm’s aftermath complicates matters further—loose rocks, wet soil, hidden channels where runoff has carved gullies into the path.

Despite the challenges, Tisera guides us with unwaveringconfidence, selecting routes that balance safety with forward progress. Her knowledge of these mountains seems almost instinctive, as though she can read the landscape in ways that go way beyond simple familiarity.

We reach the top of the rise just as the clouds begin to lift, revealing what lies beyond.

The mountainside drops away more gently on this side, forming a sheltered valley, protected from the worst weather by the surrounding peaks. And there, built directly into the stone face before us, is the stronghold.

I stop. My breath catches. A jolt of recognition goes through me.

It's exactly as I saw in my dream, down to the placement of windows and the way certain stones jut out from the façade. A huge structure integrated so perfectly with the mountain that it's difficult to determine where nature ends and construction begins. Now that we’ve reached the right angle, doorways and window slits come into view, their design cleverly mimicking the surrounding cliffs so well they would vanish entirely from any lower perspective.

The stronghold isn't just familiar. It feels like I'm remembering somewhere I’ve already visited, rather than seeing it for the first time. A déjà vu so powerful it makes me dizzy.

“I saw it,” I whisper, unable to tear my gaze away. “In my dream. It was exactly like this.” I turn to Sacha, searching his face. “How is that possible? What's happening to me?”

For once, I see something crack in his expression. Fascination, maybe even concern.

“I don't know.” The quiet honesty in his voice, the admission of uncertainty, says more than any explanation could. “But we'll find out.”

Chapter Twenty-Two

SACHA

“A companion may serve as witness or weapon. Often both.”

Wisdom of the Wandering Sages

The entranceto Stonehaven lies ahead, a masterpiece of ancient craft. Stone folded into stone, seamlessly integrated with the mountain face, visible only from this precise angle. The setting sun catches on the hidden seams, a momentary glint that would be missed by untrained eyes. Tisera leads us toward it with quiet confidence, her footsteps barely disturbing the loose scree.

This was the last stronghold I helped reinforce before the fight against the Authority turned desperate. I remember the curvature of the wards beneath the stone, how deep we buried them. Some of them are still there, pulsing quiet warnings no one hears anymore.

That raises the question I’ve been ignoring since we left our overnight shelter. How did Ellie describe this place before she ever saw it? A coincidence, maybe. Instinct says no.

I extend my awareness through my familiar, the raven's consciousness merging with mine as it soars high above. Through its eyes, the world transforms. Shadows deepen, edges sharpen,movement stands out against stillness. We're returning to areas where Authority patrols regularly sweep, and our silhouettes break the mountain's natural lines, exposing us against the skyline.

Tisera tenses, raising a hand for us to stop.

“Authority patrol,” she whispers just as my familiar sends me the same warning. She points toward the eastern ridge.

Through the raven’s eyes, I watch as six Authority soldiers move along a path that will intersect with ours in minutes. They haven’t seen us yet, but it’s not going to stay that way for long.

“This way.” Tisera changes direction. “We’ll circle around once they’ve passed.”

I touch Ellie’s arm, and lean close to tell her what’s happening. “They haven’t spotted us yet, but they will if we remain in the open.”

We angle away from Stonehaven’s entrance, taking a northern path that appears to be a natural route through the mountains. Better to appear as ordinary travelers than draw attention to our actual destination.

As we move, a loose stone dislodges beneath Ellie’s foot, clattering down the mountainside. The sound carries in the clear mountain air.

The patrol stops. Orders are barked. They change direction, moving to investigate.

“Come. We need to be seen moving away from here.”

We start along another path, ensuring the stronghold’s entrance isn’t visible, and time our movements so the patrol spots us just as we disappear around a bend, giving the impression we’ve been traveling this route all along.