Chapter 28 The Ancient Map Lines

• Raya’s POV
• The early hours inside the ramshackle cabin were dedicated to the necessary transition from reactive escape to deliberate strategy. The storm had passed, leaving the small clearing dripping and shrouded in a damp, silent peace that was utterly deceptive. Kaelen sat propped against the rough stone of the hearth, the residual cold of the binding spell still clearly visible in the unnatural stiffness of his posture.
• He had retrieved a small, rolled parchment from a hidden niche—a military map, detailed and marked with codes I did not immediately recognise. He unrolled it carefully, the parchment crackling faintly in the cool air, spreading it over a flat timber board he had cleared of dust.