Chapter 6
- Xander Jade
- May 6
- 5 min read
At dawn, Erik Bjornsson walked the perimeter of the village with his axe slung over his shoulder like an oversized limb, boots chewing through the slush. Every morning had been colder than the last, but today’s chill had a different bite—a metallic promise in the wind that said something was about to break. He traced the old fence line, then turned up the muddy path that led to the only place in the entire settlement that still made him feel like a trespasser: the bone hovel of Inga Asmundsdottir.
