Chapter 49 The First Waystone

• The journey to the Shattered Vale began before dawn.
• Mist rolled in waves across the forest floor as Meher led the small expedition through winding paths only the old maps remembered. With her were Ayaan, Kael, Raihan, Vaelen, and a handpicked group of elite scouts from each pack. The morning was eerily silent, as if the trees themselves held their breath.
• “The Veil feels thinner here,” Ayaan said, scanning the twisting shadows between the trunks. “Like reality itself is wary.”