*The weeping valley*

The wind carried no scent, no birdcall, no distant howl, just silence that felt unnatural.

Crystal stood at the crest of the hill as dusk swallowed the light from the sun.

Behind her, the starblood warriors lined the terrain as they molded into readiness while gripping their weapons. Their faces were hard but it was the tension and the restraint not to look over their shoulders that said everything.

The valley sprawled before them like an open ...