Chapter 15 · Frontier Lord - Chapter 15: Her Father's Hidden Road

Rain was already halfway down the well before Ava finished tying off the second rope.

"Wait," she called, but he didn't stop. His boots scraped stone, and then he dropped the last six feet into the water below. She heard the splash, heard him curse, and then nothing.

She leaned over the edge. "Rain?"

"It's a door." His voice came back hollow, like he was standing in a tomb. "Stone. Windstone crest carved right into it."

Ava's chest tightened. Her father had never mentioned a door. Never mentioned anything under Windstone Hollow except dirt and failure. She grabbed the rope and started down.

The well was narrow. Her shoulders brushed the stones on both sides, and the air got colder the farther she went. When her boots hit water, it was knee-deep and freezing. Rain stood in front of the door, one hand flat against the crest.

"Your family's mark," he said, not looking at her. "Same as the one on your seal."

It was. The wolf and the tower, carved deep into black stone. The door itself was maybe seven feet tall, fitted so tight into the rock that she couldn't see a gap. No handle.