Chapter 16: Through the Night

⁠​​​‌​​​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​​​‌​‌‌​​​​​‌‌‌​​​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌⁠The soft dusk of the night had fallen over the northern lands, and the pale stars had gleamed for hours on the reflecting waves of mountain streams. It was late—near midnight, for the waning sickle of the moon was slipping from its dark cover in the east and hanging like a jewel of gold just above the black crown of the pines. Breaths from the heights sifted down through the vast woods, carrying s