In a desert wadi, far from the snows of her homeland, Ylva sits in a circle of freed captives and watches a wooden cup of water pass from hand to hand. One swallow each. No more. The Wadi-Born rebels who broke the Chain-King's grip are building something fragile — community, trust, law. Ylva's fingers itch for her bone knives. She understands wolves and vengeance. What she doesn't yet understand is what it means to belong.
