The Crimson Welcome

The morning broke with an uneasy stillness, the crisp hotel air offering no relief from the mounting pressure.

Valera smoothed her jacket cuffs on the steps, the scent of damp pine offering no real comfort. Beside her, Magnus mechanically tracked every moving shadow across the asphalt.

*We are well within striking distance,* Garmr rumbled inside Magnus’s mind, the beast already clawing at the me