Chapter 165

• Author's POV
• Kavian waited until the escort reached a narrow stretch of road where the mountain rose sharply on one side and the forest dipped away on the other. It was a natural choke point—rocky, unstable, and already scarred with cracks from years of erosion. He crouched low among the boulders above the path, hands pressing into the cold stone, feeling the faint vibrations of boots and hooves passing below.
• He worked fast but carefully. One stone loosened another. Pebbles trickled down first, tapping softly against rock—harmless sounds, easy to miss. Then he drove his shoulder into a larger slab wedged precariously at the edge. It resisted for a breath, groaning under the pressure, before giving way.