Chapter Forty

Alex and Rowan returned to the Ravennites’ camp just before the sun had set. The temperature, though cold enough during the day, still dropped significantly. The Ravennites within the walls of their outpost were gathered by the firesides. Several were armed and guarding the wall on all sides. Alex had gone over to one of the large fire pits near the center of the campsite, where the Ravennites were preparing and cooking the meat of the game they hunted, which mainly consisted of deer. Alex collected two thin slabs of venison and headed to the small campfire that he set up near the wall. Rowan was sitting alone by the fire and looking down at her wooden pendant again. As Alex approached, he glanced at the charm. As usual, the first thing that caught his eye was the strange, red symbol at the top of the charm’s face that Rowan apparently could not see.

Alex went to sit down next to Rowan. “