Reya’s POV
The camp never sleeps—but tonight felt dead.
Tents rustled with uneasy whispers. My sword hung heavy at my waist, but the real blade was trust—and it was dulling fast.
Lydia, my fierce second-in-command, lay draped over the altar stones—her breath shallow and eyes glazed. The warding runes around her flickered like dying embers.
I knelt, sliding a trembling hand under her head. "Lydia?"
She didn’t respond.
Sebastian loomed behind me. "They're gone."
My head whipped toward him. "Who?"
He swallowed hard. "Chloe."
Time reeled.
Flashback – Minutes before
Chloe had slipped in during meal rotation, a tray in hand. Her smile thin. She’d greeted me. Asked about twins. Called me sister.
I’d nodded, welcomed her near.
When Lydia coughed by the fire, Chloe crossed the circle, offering water from my flask. Lydia drank. I didn’t intervene.
Poison burned. Lydia collapsed within heartbeats.
I pressed an ear to Lydia's chest—heart soft under my palm.
"Why would Chloe…?"
Sebastian glared a
