Zara had never experienced such silence in the desert. The hollow ache in her chest appeared to be intensified by the stifling silence of the landscape. Kael was no longer there, a sacrifice made for an unwon cause. The morning after their escape from the Black Hollow, Zara sat by a dwindling campfire, her gaze fixated on the horizon, as if willing Kael to reappear from the ruins.
Elara sat under her cloak close by. Her normally vivacious personality was muted, and she was struggling to make a small meal with shaky hands. Both of them had been rattled by the loss, but Elara was obviously attempting to concentrate on the future.
Elara broke the quiet by whispering, "We can't stay here." Despite the dispersion of Ardyn's men, his lieutenants remain in the field. His empire won't fall apart by itself.
Zara took a while to reply. The burden of their losses weighed heavily on her, but she knew Elara was correct. At last, she gave a nod. "We'll go at sunset. It is safer to travel in the dar
