A hooded girl stepped lightly across the cobblestones. Her movements were soft, almost floating—like someone unused to being this close to people.

“Ah—sorry!” she said, startled. Her voice was gentle, musical.

Ashren blinked. Visitors were rare in Edger. Strangers, even rarer.

“I’m Ashren,” he said. “Are you lost?”

She shook her head.
“I’m looking for the inn. I need a place to stay.”

“You can stay at the Running Kestrel,” Ashren said. “I’ll show you.”

She offered a tired but soft smile.
“Thank you. You’re very kind.”

They walked together through the dimming village. Ashren pointed out the half-buried homes and explained how villagers lived underground after dark.

“This is clever,” she whispered. “I’ve never seen anything like it.”

“You get used to it,” he said. “Most people here never leave the valley.”

At the inn, Ashren’s uncle approached. His gaze sharpened with caution.

“Newcomer?” he asked.

“She wants a room,” Ashren said.

His uncle nodded. “The innkeeper will handle it. Make sure she stays inside once the lamps go low.”

The girl paid the innkeeper and bowed politely.
“I’ll be careful.”

She disappeared inside.

Ashren watched the doorway a moment longer. Something about her felt bright and alive—something that didn’t belong to a quiet valley like Edger.

Something that could change everything.

Ashren’s uncle placed a hand on his shoulder.
“Strangers rarely come without reason,” he said quietly. “Sometimes they bring luck… sometimes trouble.”

Ashren glanced back at the inn window, where the girl’s silhouette shifted behind the curtain.

He didn’t know it yet, but tonight would be the last peaceful night the valley would ever have.

Night settled slowly over Edger. Lanterns glowed faintly aboveground, but most of the village sank into the safety of their underground homes.

Inside the Running Kestrel Inn, the hooded girl sat quietly on her bed. Her hood lay beside her, revealing her dark hair and tired eyes. She ran her fingers over a silver mark etched into a bracelet on her wrist.

“Just one night,” she whispered.
“Just one night of rest.”

But her heart raced. Peace never lasted long for her.

Far Beyond the Valley

A cold wind brushed the treetops as dark shapes glided between them. Tall, lean figures with black, smooth skin and silent steps. Strange weapons glowed faintly across their backs—rifles, metal tubes, and staffs tipped with icy blue light.

They were the Night Hunters.

One raised a glowing staff. A silent wave pulse spread across the forest floor, searching… sensing… hunting.

A spark flickered at the edge of the valley.

“She’s close,” the leader said. “Find her.”

“But dawn is near,” another murmured.

“Then move faster,” the leader snapped. “She will not escape again.”

The hunters scattered into the darkness.

Back in Edger

Ashren helped his uncle carry firewood into their underground home.

“Do you think she’ll be safe here?” Ashren asked.

His uncle shrugged.
“This valley is quiet. Nothing ever happens. But strangers bring more than themselves.”

Ashren nodded, though uneasily. Something about the girl’s tired eyes and hurried steps kept returning to his mind.

His uncle lit a lantern.
“You’ve trained well these past months. But danger doesn’t warn you before it arrives. Remember that.”

Ashren swallowed and nodded again.

At the Inn

The girl sat, barely breathing. She could feel it—the pressure, the cold tension of being tracked.

She closed the shutters and tightened her cloak around herself. The bracelet on her wrist glowed faintly before fading again.

“She is in the valley,” the leader said. “Do not fail. Do not return without her.”

Their weapons clicked softly in the dark.

Dawn was less than an hour away.

Back in Edger, the village slept peacefully.

Unaware of the shadows creeping closer.

Unaware that danger had already crossed the valley’s edge.

To be continued…

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