CAIRN POINT OF VIEW

I felt it before he spoke.

Thorne had gone quiet, but not in the way a man does when he’s uncertain. This was different. His silence carried weight, like something had settled inside him, something final. I had seen it before, in battles, in moments where hesitation could mean death.

This was the kind of quiet that came after a decision had already been made.

We stood at the edge of the hollow, the fire behind us burning low, its glow barely reaching where we were. The ...