Se connecterThe forest was too quiet.Kai noticed it the moment he crossed the outer ridge.No birds. No wind in the leaves. Even the insects seemed to have gone silent.Bad sign.He slowed his pace slightly, eyes scanning the trees.Behind him, the rest of the hunting party moved through the dark forest in a loose formation. Six trackers in total. Skilled. Fast. Loyal to the council.At least on the surface.Kai didn’t bother looking back at them.“Tracks were last seen near the lower valley,” one of the men said quietly from behind him.Kai nodded once.“I know.”Of course he knew.He had been the one who escorted Lena to the border.The memory flashed through his mind before he could stop it.Her standing there at the edge of the forest.Alone.Trying not to show fear.Stay alive.He had told her that.Now the council wanted her dead.Kai pushed the thought away and kept walking.A few minutes passed in silence before one of the trackers spoke again.“You think she made it this far?”Kai didn’
Something not entirely human.The thought still hung in Lena’s mind when the man suddenly grabbed her arm.“Move.”His voice was low but sharp.Lena barely had time to react before he pulled her toward the trees.“What…”“Quiet.”Another howl ripped through the forest.Closer now.Much closer.The sound crawled down Lena’s spine.She stumbled as he dragged her forward, branches scratching her arms as they pushed through the dark undergrowth.“Are they coming here?” she whispered.“They’re already here.”That answer did nothing to calm her.They moved fast through the trees. The stranger walked like he knew every inch of the forest. Lena had to half-run to keep up with him.Her ribs protested with every step.“Slow down,” she muttered.He didn’t.“Then keep up.”Easy for him to say.A snap of twigs echoed somewhere behind them.Lena turned her head instinctively.The stranger’s grip tightened.“Don’t look back.”“Why?”“Because if you see them,” he said calmly, “you’ll panic.”Her stom
Lena stared at him.Her chest still rose and fell too fast. Her ribs ached where the rogue had kicked her. Dirt clung to her hands.Three bodies lay scattered across the clearing.Dead. Just like that.The man who had killed them stood calmly among them as if none of it mattered.He slid the blade into its sheath with an easy motion.Only then did Lena find her voice.“What did you mean?”His green eyes shifted to her.Sharp. Assessing.“What?”“That.” Lena swallowed. “What you said.”He didn’t answer immediately.Instead, he walked toward one of the fallen rogues and nudged the body with his boot, checking it like someone making sure a job was finished.Then he looked back at her.“You’re still alive,” he said.“That wasn’t the question.”A faint smile touched the corner of his mouth.“You’ve got nerve,” he said.Lena pushed herself to her feet.Her legs shook, but she forced herself to stand straight.“You called me a weapon.”The man studied her for a moment.Then his gaze dropped
Lena ran.Behind her, something howled in the forest.The forest swallowed her almost immediately.Branches whipped her face. Roots caught her boots. Cold air tore through her lungs as she pushed deeper into the trees.Run.That was all she could do now.Her legs burned. Her lungs burned worse.But she kept moving.Deeper.Farther.The ground sloped downward and the path vanished.Trees crowded closer, choking out most of the moonlight.Lena finally slowed, stumbling into a small clearing.She bent over, hands on her knees, dragging air into her chest.Silence pressed in around her.Too quiet.Her wrist throbbed under the cloth wrapped around it.The golden line beneath the band pulsed faintly.The Echo.It was calm now… but not gone.It felt restless.Like something was watching.Lena straightened slowly.Then…a twig snapped.Lena froze.Her heart skipped once.Another sound followed.Closer.Slow footsteps moved between the trees.Shadows shifted in the dark.Lena turned slowly.Th
The gates slammed shut behind them with a heavy clang.The sound echoed through the trees like a final warning.Lena didn’t look back.The iron doors of the enclave were already sealed again, cutting her off from the only home she had ever known. Cold wind rushed through the forest ahead, carrying the smell of damp earth and wild things that didn’t care about clan laws.Kai’s grip stayed firm on her arm as he pulled her down the narrow path.“Walk.”His voice was low and controlled.Lena yanked her arm free.“I am walking.”For a moment they stood there, facing each other in the dim forest light.Inside the walls, Kai had looked untouchable. A commander surrounded by guards, power, and authority.Out here, something about him felt different.More dangerous.More alone.The silence stretched between them.Then Lena spoke first.“You knew.”Kai didn’t react.“You knew they were going to do this,” she continued, her voice tight. “You knew the council wanted me dead.”He watched her for a
And somewhere in the crowd…someone moved.Lena didn’t see who it was.But she felt it.A sudden ripple of intent cut through the storm of emotions flooding her mind.Fear. Curiosity. Excitement.All of it pressed against her senses at once.Her head throbbed.The golden mark on her wrist burned hotter.Across from her, the two remaining warriors hesitated.The one with the curved blade shifted his stance.“Commander,” he called uneasily, glancing at Kai. “What do we do?”Kai didn’t answer.His gaze was still scanning the crowd.Calculating and searching.The spearman stepped forward again, clearly trying to regain control of the moment.“It doesn’t matter what killed him,” he said loudly, gesturing at the fallen warrior. “The trial continues.”A few people in the crowd nodded.Others still looked nervous.The curved blade warrior swallowed but stepped forward beside the spearman.Two against one.Again.Lena’s heart slammed harder.Her vision blurred for a second.The noise inside he







