Chapter 6: The New Arrival
The fire jumped between the four of them. No one spoke.
Seraphina's eyes landed on the coat wrapped around Violet. Then flicked away.
"Leon." Her voice was soft. "When does your hunting party get back?"
"Tomorrow."
"Then tonight you'll—"
"I'll keep watch."
Seraphina's lips pressed together, just slightly. Then she turned to Violet. "Cecily. What tribe are you from?"
"Silver Spring."
"Silver Spring? That's far. How did you end up here?"
"Got pushed."
Seraphina's mouth opened a little. "Pushed? Who—"
"Astrid Frostfang."
Something flickered in Seraphina's honey-colored eyes. Violet recognized that glint. Excitement. The excitement of I just got useful information.
Violet had thrown that piece out on purpose. Not because she trusted Seraphina. Because she needed Seraphina to think she still had more. More intel. So Seraphina wouldn't classify her as a "threat" to be dealt with tonight.
"Astrid Frostfang…" Seraphina repeated the name. "Why did she push you?"
"Because I found out her secret. She's not pureblood."
Seraphina's breath caught for half a beat. "Then… what will you do? You can't go back to Silver Spring, can you?"
"I'm not going back. I'm here."
She glanced at Leon. He hadn't said a word. He just sat by the fire, amber slit pupils glowing faintly in the light.
Seraphina's gaze bounced between the two of them. "That's good then. We can keep each other company—"
"I'm tired." Violet stood. The moment weight hit her right foot, pain whited out her vision. She didn't stop. She turned toward the tent.
"Cecilia." Leon's voice came from behind.
"Tomorrow." She didn't look back.
She crawled into the tent and lay down on the blanket. She pulled Leon's coat tighter around herself and stretched out her injured foot.
Outside, Seraphina's voice came again. "Leon, are you sure your wounds don't need more attention?"
"No."
Silence.
"Then… can you tell me about Thornveil Gorge? It's my first time here. I'm a little scared."
"Ask Darryl. He knows it better than me."
In the dark, Violet smiled without making a sound. Leon was not developing feelings for Seraphina on the original book's timeline.
Her eyes fell on a small leather satchel in the corner of the tent. Leon's. Inside were his personal items. Flint. Dried rations. A small pouch of salt. And several hide maps.
Maps.
She knew what was on those maps. The book had described them. The Gray Rock Tribe's hunting maps marked every resource point within fifty miles of Thornveil Gorge. Water sources. Mineral veins. Herb patches. Beast migration routes.
But those maps had a problem. They were drawn three years ago. Two years of drought had shifted the riverbeds. Old water sources had dried up. New ones had appeared. And no one in Gray Rock had updated the maps.
She knew where the new water sources were. Chapters Fifty-Eight through Sixty-One of the original book. Four whole chapters of Seraphina and Leon exploring Thornveil Gorge together and discovering new water sources.
If she could map those out—then she wouldn't just be "a stray they took in." She'd be Gray Rock Tribe's survival consultant.
That was her leverage. Not predicting the future. Predicting the future was too vague. No one would believe it. This was concrete. Verifiable. Immediately useful.
Violet sat up slowly in the dark. She eased Leon's satchel toward her and pulled out the hide maps. By the faint firelight seeping through the tent fabric, she began to study them.
The maps were rough. But Violet didn't need to see every detail. She needed to cross-reference. What was drawn on these maps against what was in her head.
Three water sources. She remembered their locations.
She folded the maps and slipped them back into Leon's satchel. She lay down, pulled the coat tight, and closed her eyes.
Tomorrow. The hunting party would return tomorrow. Tomorrow she would face all of them.
Outside, the breathing continued. Only the fire crackled, in the silent gorge, like a heart still beating.
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End of Chapter Six
The new arrival is more dangerous than any wolf. But Violet is still holding a card—the new water sources that don't exist on those old maps. She plans to trade them for a position no one can touch.