Chapter 116: Seeking Answers

Sage

The weight of the rucksack dug into my shoulders as Freya and I trudged down the dusty road leading away from Valorhold. Despite the ache, my spirits felt lighter than they had in ages. The fortress walls that had sheltered me these past months now seemed more akin to a gilded prison - one that constantly confined me within scornful gazes and barely muted whispers. Each day crawled by marked only by sidelong glances and subtle recoils from those around me.

But out here breathing crisp morning air that carried hints of pine and distant woodsmoke, for the first time since that awful night I was branded traitor and exiled, flickers of tenacious hope stirred my weary soul. However daunting the road ahead remained, taking action toward some purpose felt infinitely nobler than rotting away forgotten.

I hitched my pack higher and matched Freya’s steady strides down the winding track. Frost had posted her near the healing ward for weeks since her abrupt return, but clearly her forced