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Korrin

KORRIN

T he first rays of dawn peeked over the distant plains, casting a warm glow on the stone walls of the castle below. I squinted, studying the rhythmic patrol of the guards along the ramparts.

"Orland thinks he's protected by the mountains," Surant declared.

It wasn't an unreasonable assumption.

Until recently, the old fortress of Noemo had been deserted, but its position at the convergence of two rivers still made it nearly impregnable. A vast plain stretching to its east, a crescent of jagged peaks curving around to the west, separating us from the main plains of Trellen.

But there was a secret about those peaks that Lord Orland didn't know.

"We'll need to time our approach carefully," I murmured. "Their shifts change at dawn and dusk—those transition points will be our best windows."

Roji grunted in agreement beside me. "Aye, the night watch is more alert right after taking over. But fatigue will set in before they're relieved."

"We should map their patterns over the next few cycles," Surant said, his eyes narrowed in calculation. "Once we've got their rotations figured out, slipping inside will be child's play."

I nodded, though a kernel of unease gnawed at me. Breaking into a fortified castle wouldn't be simple. But we had little choice.

Pushing aside my doubts, I said, "Come, return. We should sleep while we can."

We made our way back through the winding tunnels, the dim torchlight flickering over the rough stone walls. As we neared our temporary camp in a spacious cavern, the sound of clattering objects reached my ears.

I held up a hand, signaling the others to halt. Roji and Surant immediately fell silent, hands dropping to their weapons as we crept forward.

In the wavering light of the banked fire, I could make out a small figure crouched by our packs, hastily rifling through them. A thief, by the looks of the spindly limbs and furtive movements. But...far too slight.

A child?

Fury rose in my chest, and I charged forward with a roar. "Get away from there, you little wretch!"

The intruder yelped, leaping up and bolting towards one of the side passages. I gave chase, my longer strides quickly closing the distance. My fingers snagged the back of a tattered cloak, but the fabric tore free as the thief wriggled from my grasp.

Behind me, Roji and Surant's laughter echoed off the cavern walls. "Having trouble keeping up, captain?" Roji called out in amusement.

Gritting my teeth, I redoubled my efforts, boots pounding against the hard-packed earth. The thief was quick, I'd give them that—but they didn't know these tunnels like I did.

Up ahead, a narrow crevice branched off the main path. The intruder made a beeline for it, obviously hoping to lose me in the labyrinth. A desperate gambit—those offshoots were little more than dead ends and animal dens.

I cut the corner sharply, closing the gap even further. With a final lunge, I tackled the thief, pinning them to the ground with my weight as they thrashed and kicked.

This time, I made sure to pin both wrists, controlling his body with my knees.

"Who are you? What are you doing here? How do I know you?" My words echoed in my head. I'd spoken them before. Pinned this boy before. In a dream, but not a dream. Something was off.

Our motion had dislodged the thief's hood, the cloth hiding the face falling away.

Golden curls tumbled out. A face paler than I'd ever seen revealed.

Not a boy. Not a woman. Something other. Something far more enticing. Inside, the Valti let out a howl only I could hear.

"Gods above, , let it go!"

"Frostling!"

"We're cursed!"

But no. I knew we weren't. I had encountered a creature like this before. Short, lithe, the woman of a comrade.

That one had hair black as lava rock; this one endlessly fascinating curls of gold. Her skin was snowy white. Eyes solidly, foreign blue.

Not a Frostling. They called themselves human.

More than that. Hers was the face that haunted my dreams. My animal Valti knew her.

And in a blinding flash, so did I.

She was mine.

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