The winding trail to Whispering Rock hugged the cliffside, moonlight silvering the sea below. The sound of distant waves muffled beneath the stones’ eerie hum.
Bruna the Hearth-Tender crouched near a crackling fire pit, her dark curls pinned messily beneath her hood. A stack of polished stones and a bundle of kindling rested at her side.
“I was about to start without you,” she called softly. “I can feel them listening…Better to greet them with warmth than silence.”
Arcanus helped her place offerings around the fire—driftwood, herbs, gleaming river pebbles. At last, the ritual complete, Bruna gestured to a cloth-wrapped bundle beside her.
“A gift for your help—but only one. Choose wisely.”