I stood up slowly, Lila sleeping in the basket beside the map. My hand went to the faint scar on my chest. The bond roared in my head, three wolves rising close to the surface at once.
Darius's voice was flat. "Then we meet him on the ridge before he reaches the walls."
Kane's knife was already out. "We end this before the moon rises full."
Rylan picked up his axe. "And if the curse hits us while we're out there? What do we do then?"
I looked at each of them, then at my daughter sleeping peacefully in the basket. The rage in my chest was cold now, clear.
"Then we fight it together. Like we always have. And we don't give up until we conquer it."
Outside the window the moon was already climbing, fat and red on the horizon. One day left.
One day until the full moon.
One day until my father came for my child.
And I was done waiting for him to make the first move.
I reached for my cloak and strapped on the blade Kane had given me months ago. The steel felt right in my hand.
