Prologue
The mountain wind howled that night, sharp and relentless. Snow swirled in the air, biting at Leela’s skin as she stood near the ridge. The darkness was vast, swallowing the jagged peaks and gnarled trees below. Somewhere far beneath her feet, Riya lay broken and still.
Leela could still hear her screams echoing inside her head—sharp, desperate cries swallowed by the wind. The moment replayed like a cruel memory: Riya’s panicked grip on the ledge, fingers slipping from frozen stone... and Leela just standing there, watching.
She should’ve turned back to the resort then. But she hadn’t. Instead, she lingered at the ridge, alone, until her breath came out steady and her pulse slowed. Only then did she notice it—a figure in the trees, barely visible through the haze of snow. Someone had been watching.
For a fleeting second, their eyes met—dark, narrowed eyes that gleamed from the shadows. Then they turned and vanished into the forest.
Leela stood frozen, her breath clouding in the cold air. Did they know what they had seen? Would they tell?
The mountain wind answered her questions with silence.
