ChapterOne

A lowrumble jolted Davin awake at the crack ofdawn.

He jerked upright, heart racing as his mind struggled to orient itself to reality. Davin had been in the middle of a disturbing dream when the sound startled him awake. He couldn’t remember all the details, but it left him feeling on edge. Not that the real world was any more of a comfort. At least with a dream Davin could find solace knowing the events weren’t actuallyhappening.

Hearing the noise again, Davin looked up. High up on the nearest mountain, a cloud of snow was slowly settling. Davin took a deep breath, finally bringing his heartrate back down to normal. Avalanches weren’t an uncommon occurrence in the Banor Mountains, but no matter how many he witnessed, Davin still felt a sliver of fear whenever he saw one. What would it feel like to be trapped under all thatsnow?

Davin shuddered. Even being at the base of such a monstrosity was unnerving. He didn’t understand how the Mountain Tribes could spend their whole lives living in the shadows of those giants. Davin couldn’t wait to get further away fromthem.

Unfortunately, it was going to be some time before the Resistance was able to move to a new location. It had been a little over a month since they were attacked by the king’s soldiers. Only a small group of Resistors had survived, and even fewer had been lucky enough to make it without serious injury. There were still so many who were too hurt to move. They would need more time to heal. Davin just wished waiting wasn’t so incrediblydifficult.

As Davin stood and began walking through the camp, he spotted a woman sitting by herself near one of the fires. Even from across the