The Ridge. Late Afternoon.
The sun was low when William broke the silence.
"We should go down there now."
They were gathered at the edge of the ridge, looking down at the valley below. The stream was a thin silver line in the fading light. The hillside was dotted with boulders, shadows gathering between them. The tracks led down the slope, into the darkness, into whatever was waiting.
Aldric shook his head. "We camp here. We go down at first light."
"We're close. We could find it today. We could—"
"We could walk into something we don't understand." Aldric's voice was sharp. He was standing on his good leg, his cane in his hand, his face pale with pain. He had been in the saddle all day, pushing himself, refusing to rest. Now he was paying for it. "We need to rest. We need to plan. We need to be smart."
William turned to face him. "I'm tired of being smart. I'm tired of waiting. The thing that came through that tree is down there. It killed that animal. It could be killing more. It could be—"
"We don't know what it's doing." Aldric's voice was steady, but his hands were shaking. "We don't know if it's alone. We don't know if there are more. We don't know anything."
William stared at him. "Then we go down there and find out."
"That's not a plan. That's suicide."
"It's not suicide. It's—"
"It's what you do when you have something to prove." Aldric's voice was quiet now, tired. "I know. I've been there. I've done it. It gets people killed."
---
Gwen watched from her horse.
She had been quiet all day, watching, learning. She had seen the way William looked at the valley, the way his hand stayed on his sword, the way his jaw tightened every time Aldric spoke. She had seen the way Aldric held himself, the way his leg trembled when he thought no one was looking, the way his eyes stayed on his brother.
She had seen arguments like this before. At the palace. At court. Between people who loved each other and couldn't say it.
She dismounted. Walked to stand between them.
"William." Her voice was calm. "Aldric is right. We need to rest. We need to plan. We can't go down there tired and hungry and scared."
William looked at her. "I'm not scared."
"Yes, you are." She met his eyes. "We all are. That's why we need to be smart."
He was quiet for a moment. Then he looked at the valley, the stream, the darkness gathering between the boulders.
"Fine," he said. "We camp here."
---
Lira watched from the edge of the ridge.
She had been silent through the argument, her bow in her hand, her eyes on the valley below. She had seen things like this before. On the border. In the old timeline. The arguments that came from fear, from exhaustion, from the weight of not knowing what was coming.
She moved to stand beside William.
"You did the right thing," she said.
He looked at her. "What?"
"Pushing to go down there. Wanting to find it." She met his eyes. "That's what soldiers do. They push. They want to end it."
He was quiet for a moment. "Aldric doesn't think I'm a soldier."
"Aldric thinks you're his brother." She looked at the valley. "That's different."
---
Mirena sat apart, her staff across her knees, her eyes on the forest below.
She had been quiet through the argument, thinking about the portal, about the tree, about the thing that had come through. She was thinking about what it meant that the tracks were fresh, that the animal was warm, that whatever was down there was still close.
Grog sat beside her.
"What are you thinking?"
She was quiet for a moment. "I'm thinking about the thing that came through the tree. About what it wants. About why it's still here."
He waited.
"The portal is gone. Whatever brought it here is gone. But it's still here. Still moving. Still killing." She looked at him. "That means it's not going back. It's here to stay."
He was quiet for a moment.
"Then we stop it."
---
They made camp at the edge of the ridge.
The tents were small, the fire was low, the watches were set. Lira took first watch, her bow across her knees, her back to a tree. The others sat around the fire, eating cold rations, drinking water, saying nothing.
William sat apart, his back to the others, his eyes on the valley below.
Gwen moved to sit beside him.
"You're still thinking about going down there."
He didn't look at her. "I'm thinking about what we'll find."
She was quiet for a moment. "What do you think we'll find?"
He was quiet for a long time.
"I don't know," he said finally. "That's what scares me."
---
Aldric sat by the fire, his leg stretched out, his cane beside him.
His leg was throbbing, his arm was shaking, his face was pale. He had pushed too hard today, ridden too far, refused to rest when he should have. Now he was paying for it.
Grog sat across from him.
"You pushed too hard."
Aldric looked at him. "I had to."
"No, you didn't." Grog's voice was quiet. "You wanted to."
Aldric was quiet for a moment. "William wanted to go down there today. He wanted to find it. He wanted to—"
"He wanted to prove something."
Aldric nodded. "He always has."
Grog watched him. "So do you."
Aldric looked at his leg. The leg that wouldn't heal fast enough. The leg that made him feel useless.
"I know," he said.
---
Lira stood at the edge of the ridge, her bow in her hand, her eyes on the valley below.
The moon was rising, pale and cold, casting shadows across the hillside. The stream was a thin silver line in the darkness. The boulders were dark shapes, huddled together like sleeping animals.
She thought about the old timeline. About the things Grog had told her. About the people she had lost.
She thought about William. About the way he had looked at the valley, the way his hand had stayed on his sword, the way his jaw had tightened when Aldric spoke.
He wanted to prove something. They all did.
She watched the valley until her eyes burned.
---
In the night, something moved at the edge of camp.
Lira saw it—just a shape, just a shadow, gone before she could raise her bow. She sat perfectly still, her eyes on the darkness, her hand on her arrow.
It didn't come back.
But she felt it watching. Waiting.
She didn't sleep.