The warmth of the fire had begun to fade, but the room remained thick with the remnants of uneasy dreams and unspoken thoughts.

  The scout, now fully inside, lowered his hood, revealing a sharp-featured man with dark eyes that seemed to take in every detail at once. His name was Gavril, one of Ilyas’s trusted men, a seasoned tracker who had spent the past weeks monitoring the shifting tides of power in the neighbouring territories.

  Ilyas motioned him toward the fire and handed him a cup of water. “Speak.”

  Gavril took a long sip before setting the cup down.

  “There’s been movement. Oleg’s death didn’t go unnoticed. His men—those who weren’t here—have scattered. Some are trying to regroup, but the real danger isn’t them.”

  He glanced at Kaavi.

  “There are whispers that Oleg answered to someone higher. A warlord or something worse. I don’t know who yet, but his death has stirred something. The power struggle is drawing attention.”

  Kaavi’s expression remained unreadable, but inside, his thoughts sharpened. He had expected this. Power never vanished; it only shifted hands.

  “Did anyone come searching for him?” Kaavi asked.

  Gavril nodded. “Not yet. But it’s only a matter of time.”

  Ilyas exhaled sharply. “Then we need to move fast. If whoever backed Oleg sends men to investigate, we don’t want to be here when they arrive with a full force.”

  Kaavi rubbed his temples. His body still ached from the fight, and the lingering whispers in his mind gnawed at his senses, but he pushed it aside. “We leave at first light tomorrow.”

  Gavril hesitated. “One more thing. I stopped by a village a few days north of here—one I’ve passed through before. Something felt… wrong. The people were quiet, too quiet. Even the ones I knew wouldn’t meet my eye.”

  “Fear?” Ilyas asked.

  Gavril nodded. “Maybe. But of what, I don’t know. It wasn’t like that before.”

  Kaavi mulled over this, filing the information away. He could feel it—the shifting air of something unseen. A new storm gathering on the horizon.

  He turned to Ilyas. “We’ll need supplies for the road.”

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  “I’ll handle it.”

  Kaavi then glanced at Gavril. “You should rest. You’ve done enough.”

  The scout nodded, his body betraying the exhaustion he had been holding at bay. He leaned against the wall, his sharp eyes finally dimming as fatigue pulled him under.

  Viktor awoke to the scent of fresh bread and the distant murmur of voices. He sat up, rubbing the sleep from his eyes, and stretched. His body was still stiff, but his mind felt clearer than it had the night before.

  As he stepped into the main room, he saw Kaavi and Ilyas speaking in hushed tones while Gavril rested nearby. The air was different this morning—charged, purposeful.

  Kaavi turned as he entered. “Eat. We leave tomorrow.”

  Viktor frowned but didn’t argue. He had learned long ago that when Kaavi made a decision, there was no changing it. He moved to the table and grabbed a piece of bread, chewing thoughtfully.

  Danil and Ren joined them shortly after, their bodies still bearing the marks of battle, but their eyes steady. There was no need for words; they all knew what came next.

  By nightfall, the final preparations were complete. Supplies were packed, and a single sturdy horse was prepared to carry their provisions. Their route had changed—rather than taking the direct path, they would take a longer, less-travelled road, avoiding known trade routes and potential ambush points. The decision came after Gavril’s warning; the power vacuum left by Oleg’s death had stirred unseen forces, and moving unpredictably was their safest option.

  As Kaavi stood at the window, looking out toward the vast, snow-laden horizon, he felt it again—that ever-present weight pressing against his thoughts. The unknown. The unseen. Waiting.

  He exhaled, then turned to Ilyas. “This village won’t be safe forever. If reinforcements come, they’ll tear through it.”

  Ilyas looked back at his home, his jaw tightening. He had lived here for years, raising his family in this small refuge. But Kaavi was right.

  “I’ll take my family east,” Ilyas said finally. “Toward the borderlands of Varnhal.”

  Kaavi nodded. “It’s the best choice.”

  Danil and Ren, standing nearby, exchanged a glance. “We’re staying,” Danil said firmly. “This village is all we have.”

  Ren nodded. “We’re orphans. This place… it’s home. If anyone comes back looking for trouble, they’ll find us waiting.”

  Kaavi studied them both for a long moment, then gave a small nod. “Then protect it well my friends.”

  As the fire crackled and sent sparks into the cold night air, the group sat in a rare moment of ease. Danil and Ren exchanged stories of past travels, and Ilyas shared a quiet drink with Gavril, discussing the safest trails for their journey.

  Kaavi, however, remained deep in thought. He sat apart from the group, cross-legged in the snow-dusted yard outside the house. His breaths came slow and measured as he focused inward, pushing through the lingering ache in his body. The fight with Oleg had drained him, but he would not allow it to weaken him further.

  A light crunch of snow signalled someone’s approach. Kaavi opened his eyes to find Viktor watching him, arms crossed.

  “You’re always thinking,” Viktor muttered.

  Kaavi offered a small smile. “It’s a habit.”

  Viktor hesitated before stepping forward. “You’re not… hurt, are you?”

  “Nothing that won’t heal.”

  The boy nodded but didn’t look convinced. He sat down beside Kaavi, quiet for a long moment before asking, “What do you think is waiting for us out there?”

  Kaavi looked at the horizon, at the endless stretch of darkness beyond the village’s borders. “Something unseen, waiting beyond the horizon. But when it comes, we’ll face it.”

  Viktor nodded again, this time with more certainty. He leaned his head against Kaavi’s shoulder, and for a little while, they sat in silence, listening to the wind whisper through the trees.

  The road beckoned. And soon, they would answer.