Chapter 13 Needles Beyond The Horizon

• Dawn’s first light wove through the spruce boughs that crowned the healer’s hut, painting the air with soft gold. Already, villagers from every corner of Ravnir’s territory lined the winding path: hunters with crooked shoulders, gatherers carrying bundles of forage, even a few scouts brushing dust from their cloaks. They came not for spirit healing—that was as common as wind in these parts—but for acupuncture, Xueya’s secret gift.
• Inside, Xueya tied back her midnight-black hair and arranged her wristband of gleaming needles. Harkan stood nearby, his lion-like eyes thoughtful. Kaelin hovered with ink-stained parchment, quill poised. As the first of the line shuffled forward, they watched with keen anticipation.
• A massive bear-beastman, forearm scarred from an old hunt, hobbled into the hut. He sighed as Xueya’s golden gaze met his.