Chapter 68 – The One Who Failed Before
POV: Amelia
The fortress looked different from a distance.
Smaller.
Not physically. Blackmoor was still massive, still carved into the mountain like it had been built to survive wars long before the current generation was born. But distance stripped power from things. It made them look quieter than they really were.
Amelia stood beneath the cover of the trees overlooking the western ridge, her hood pulled low enough to shadow most of her face as her gaze remained fixed on the fortress walls.
She had spent years avoiding this place.
Years avoiding the memories attached to it.
And somehow she still ended up back here.
The irony would have been amusing if anything about this felt amusing anymore.
The wind shifted lightly around her, carrying the distant sound of movement from inside the walls. Guards changing position. Training calls from the lower grounds. Wolves moving through routines they believed were stable.
