Forbidden Bond: A Velthorn Tale — Chapter 30: Whispers in The Dark

← Chapter 29: Broken at First Light | 📖 Series Index | Chapter 31: Life and Shadow →

The echo of Fredrick’s anguished roar still reverberated through Cedarcrest’s cobblestone streets as dawn gave way to full morning light. Word of the blacksmith’s thousand-gold bounty spread like wildfire through the town, carried on the breath of excited whispers and the shuffle of boots as ordinary citizens transformed into hunters overnight.

In the Hammer and Tongs tavern, three blocks from the town square where Erik’s body had been displayed, patrons nursed their morning ales with unusual intensity. The conversations that would normally focus on weather and trade prices had taken on a predatory edge, voices dropping to conspiratorial whispers whenever strangers passed too close.