Morning broke beneath a sky of pale silver, its light filtering weakly through the clouds that hung over Frostvale. Snow drifted lazily across the ancient streets, settling upon rooftops and forgotten statues alike. Yet despite the beauty of the frozen city, an uneasy silence lingered over everything.
Darian and Serenya crossed beneath Frostvale's towering eastern gate without a word.
The journey through the mountains had left them exhausted. Snow clung to their boots and cloaks, while the bitter wind still nipped at their faces. Yet neither dared slow their pace.
They both knew one thing.
Corvus would not be far behind.
Darian's eyes wandered across the city.
Massive stone buildings rose directly from the mountainside, their walls coated in layers of ice that glittered beneath the pale morning light. Ancient towers reached toward the heavens like frozen spears, while narrow bridges connected rooftops above the winding streets below.
It was unlike anywhere he had ever seen.
Beautiful.
Ancient.
Haunting.
"I imagined Frostvale would be louder," Darian admitted quietly.
Serenya kept walking.
"It used to be."
Her voice carried a sadness that surprised him.
"Before the Purge, merchants traveled here from every kingdom. The streets were filled with music, blacksmiths, scholars, pilgrims..."
She looked toward the silent market square.
"Now everyone whispers."
A hooded woman hurried past carrying firewood.
An old man quickly lowered his head as two armored patrols marched through the square.
Children disappeared indoors the moment the soldiers appeared.
No one smiled.
No one spoke.
Darian frowned.
"They're afraid."
"They've been taught to be."
Serenya's gaze followed the patrol.
"The Circle doesn't need chains."
"They only need fear."
As they entered the central square, Darian stopped.
An enormous statue stood at its center.
A knight.
His sword rested point-down before him while one hand held a burning torch high toward the heavens.
Even beneath layers of snow...
The face carried quiet determination.
Words had been carved into the black stone beneath the monument.
Kaedric Thorne
High Knight of the Radiant Flame
Serenya froze.
For several heartbeats she simply stared.
Then she stepped forward.
Her gloved fingers brushed snow away from the inscription.
"They left it standing..."
Her voice barely rose above a whisper.
"I thought they destroyed every monument to the Radiant Order."
Darian remained silent.
He had never seen Serenya like this.
Not frightened.
Not determined.
Simply...
...grieving.
"My father swore his life to this city."
She smiled sadly.
"And Frostvale remembered."
For the first time since Rowan's death...
A single tear escaped before disappearing into the snow.
She quickly wiped it away.
"We should keep moving."
They avoided the main roads, following narrow alleyways until Serenya finally stopped before an aging stone tavern tucked beneath one of Frostvale's lower terraces.
Its faded wooden sign creaked gently in the wind.
The Hearthkeeper.
Inside, warmth greeted them almost immediately.
A small fire crackled inside the hearth while an elderly woman polished wooden cups behind the counter.
Her sharp blue eyes studied the newcomers.
"You've come a long way."
Serenya placed several silver coins upon the counter.
"We need one room."
The woman looked toward the window before quietly sweeping the coins into her apron.
"The roof still keeps out the snow."
She leaned closer.
"But not secrets."
Serenya met her eyes.
"We aren't here to cause trouble."
"No."
The woman smiled faintly.
"Trouble usually finds people like you."
She handed over a small iron key.
"Third room."
"Stay away from the windows after dark."
The room was modest.
One bed.
A wooden table.
A fireplace barely large enough to warm the chamber.
Darian dropped his pack with a tired sigh before removing Rowan's sealed letter from beneath his cloak.
It remained warm.
Warmer than ever before.
He turned it slowly in his hands.
"We're finally here."
Serenya removed her gloves.
"Yes."
"And now?"
She stared toward the fire.
"Now we find the Sanctum."
"You said it lies beneath Frostvale."
"It does."
"But the entrance was sealed after the Purge."
She knelt beside the hearth.
"My father once showed me an old map."
"If the passages still exist..."
"...we may reach it before Corvus."
Darian looked down at the glowing seal.
"And if we don't?"
Serenya's expression hardened.
"Then the Hollow Flame reaches it first."
Night settled quickly over Frostvale.
Outside, snow battered the windows while fierce winds howled through the narrow streets.
Sleep refused to come.
Darian found Serenya standing beside the frost-covered window.
She traced glowing symbols into the ice with one finger.
Ancient runes.
Each shimmered briefly before fading.
"What are you doing?" he whispered.
She didn't turn.
"I'm listening."
"Listening to what?"
"The mountain."
Darian frowned.
"You can hear it?"
"The Radiant Order learned long ago that places touched by ancient fire never truly forget."
She rested her palm against the frozen glass.
"The stone remembers."
"The ice remembers."
"So does the flame beneath them."
Darian stepped closer.
"What does it say?"
Her face grew pale.
"It says..."
She stopped.
"...we're no longer hidden."
A violent crash shattered the silence below.
Wood splintered.
Voices shouted.
Steel rang against stone.
Serenya's hand instantly found the hilt of her sword.
"They found us."
Another crash echoed through the tavern.
Someone screamed downstairs.
Then—
"Search every room!"
A harsh voice thundered through the building.
"Seal every exit!"
Darian quickly hid Rowan's letter beneath his cloak.
"The Circle?"
Serenya nodded.
"Corvus moves faster than I thought."
She extinguished the fire with a sweep of her boot.
"Come."
Without another word, they slipped through a narrow storage passage behind the fireplace, disappearing into the forgotten tunnels beneath Frostvale just moments before heavy boots thundered outside their room.