Chapter 109

Ronan's POV

Two days later, a section of the refuge roof loosened in the wind. Mara saw the slate shifting from the yard and climbed the maintenance stair before I realized where she was going. By the time I reached the upper landing, she was standing at the edge of the roof with a rope looped around the chimney.

She knew how to tie the knot. She had done it before, at Ironwood, when no one else wanted to inspect a winter roof. I knew all of that. I also saw ice beneath her boot and a drop onto the stone yard.

“Mara,” I called. “The slate is moving under you.”

“I see it.” She tested the rope with her weight. “Stay inside until I’ve secured the other end.”

Grimm strained toward her. The Crown took his fear and mine together. Somewhere beyond the ridge, three distant presences turned t