CAIRN POINT OF VIEW.

The forest thinned slowly, reluctantly, as Moonfang came back into view.

It didn’t rise suddenly. It revealed itself piece by piece, first the jagged outline of its walls cutting through the trees, then the steady glow of torches burning along its edges, then the faint silhouettes of guards pacing above like shadows that never rested.

Even from a distance, it felt the same.

Cold.

Unmoving.

Unforgiving.

Like something carved into the land by force rather than built ...