Page 171 of Stormvein

Varam presses his hand against the stone, and the wall shimmers, then parts to reveal the narrow passage leading outside. Cool night air rushes in, carrying the scent of pine and earth.

I pull my cloak tighter around me as we step outside. The night is clear, the stars bright overhead, and the moon provides just enough light to navigate by. The entrance seals behind us, disappearing into solid rock once more.

In a small clearing nearby, there are horses waiting—ten of them, saddled and ready. One carries supplies rather than a rider. I hang back until everyone else has moved to a horse, before approaching the remaining one.

I glance back toward Stonehaven one more time. So many lives are dependent on what we do next.

Sacha swings into his saddle, then looks at each of us in turn. His gaze lingers on me for a second longer than the others.

“Let’s go.” He calls out his raven and sends it into the sky. It circles overhead, a deeper shadow against the night sky before flying away.

We move in single file along the trail Mira leads. I ride directly behind Sacha, my fingers tight around the reins, while my thoughts drift to what we might discover at Thornspire Keep. We’re heading into unknown danger, and I doubt Sacha’s plan will be as easy as it sounds.

“There’s a patrol ahead.” Sacha’s voice is soft. “We’ll divert north slightly.”

Mira alters our course without question, guiding us toward a narrow gap between rock formations. The path becomes steeper, forcing us to dismount and lead the horses single-file.

“Hold,” Sacha whispers. We all freeze in place, and I twist to look at him. His eyes are full black, seeing through his raven’s vision. After several tense seconds, he nods. “Clear now. They’ve moved west.”

The tension eases slightly, but no one completely relaxes. In this world, danger is never truly absent. We’ve been traveling for at least two hours, which means dawn is still a long way off. But time isn’t on our side. If we reach Thornspire Keep after sunrise, our plan becomes far more dangerous.

“We’ll get there before dawn,” Sacha murmurs from behind me. “Darkness will still cover our approach.”

I nod, grateful for his reassurance, though anxiety still twists in my stomach. The path narrows as we approach a fork in the trail, forcing us back into single file.

Mira raises her hand, bringing our group to a halt. She turns in her saddle, and exchanges a look with Sacha, who dismounts and moves to join her at the front of our procession. I slidefrom my saddle and follow, wanting to know what has them concerned.

“Authority scouts,” Mira says, pointing to fresh tracks in the soft earth. “They passed through here less than an hour ago.”

Sacha crouches, examining the hoof prints. Tilting his head, his eyes change while he communes with his raven. “They’re moving in a standard search pattern, spreading out from the main force.”

Mira points to where the path divides. “We have two options. Circle north around the mountain, or take Silverthread Pass directly through it.”

The rest of our group shift uncomfortably at the mention of the pass.

“Which is faster?” I ask.

“Silverthread,” Sacha replies. “It will put us at Thornspire long before dawn. The eastern route adds hours we don’t have.”

“Then I guess Silverthread it is.”

Mira shakes her head. “It’s not that simple. Silverthread has its own dangers.”

“What kind of dangers?” I look between them.

“Glassbacks.” It’s Sacha who answers me. “They’re predators native to these mountains. They consider anything that moves through their domain to be prey.”

“Three years ago, a Veinwarden scout tried to use that pass. We found what was left of him a week later,” Tarn says.

A chill races down my spine. I think of Chicago’s urban wildlife—raccoons, coyotes, maybe the occasional deer.Nothingthat inspires the kind of dread I’m seeing in the men around me.

“Andthat’sour best option?”

“If we want to reach Thornspire before dawn, yes.” Sacha’s voice is matter-of-fact. “If we circle around to avoid both the Authority and the glassbacks, we’ll arrive after sunrise. Our chance of infiltrating the keep undetected drops significantly.”

“Then how do we get through the pass safely?”

“We don’t,” Mira says bluntly. “We just try not to attract their attention.”