Chapter 87

Maren

I wake to the sound of rain.

It falls soft and steady, hissing against the cooling stone, washing away the last threads of fire that had crawled through the mountain. The air smells of ash and metal; each breath tastes faintly of smoke. When I move, something heavy slips from my shoulders. Kaelen’s jacket.

For a heartbeat, I think I dreamed the whole thing—the fortress, the flames, Zarek’s e