The: Paths We Lay By Auryn Hadley

Elara gripped the hilt of her blade, her eyes scanning the shifting treeline. "We were told the treaty would stabilize the veins. If the Paths are failing, it means someone is pulling the threads from the other side."

He didn't need to look up to recognize Elara’s voice. She was the shield to his needle—a Guardian tasked with protecting the weavers from the very shadows that ate the roads. The Paths We Lay by Auryn Hadley

Kaelen knelt on the edge of the Sun-Bleached Highway, his fingers hovering inches above the jagged fissure. He could feel the ley lines beneath the dust, pulsing like a fevered heartbeat. This wasn't natural erosion. This was Hunger . "It’s getting worse, isn't it?" Elara gripped the hilt of her blade, her

The ground buckled. A roar, more felt than heard, vibrated through his bones. From the fissure, a shadow lunged—a creature made of static and ancient spite. She was the shield to his needle—a Guardian

Kaelen looked down at his hands, then at the road that now shimmered with a faint, rebellious emerald hue. "The old paths lead to the same end, Elara. If we want to get somewhere new, we have to lay the bricks ourselves."

Kaelen closed his eyes, sinking his consciousness into the rock. In his mind’s eye, the road wasn't stone and mortar; it was a golden ribbon of light stretching toward the horizon. But here, at the crossroads, the ribbon was frayed, turning into a muddy, oily blackness.

"You changed the weave," Elara said, sheathing her sword, her eyes wide. "That wasn't the Imperial pattern."