로그인Their vehicle moved forward a few minutes later. When they reached the checkpoint, an official approached the driver's window and requested their documents. Cassian handed them over without hesitation, answering the man's questions about their destination and the reason for their journey.The official examined the papers before looking into the vehicle.His gaze moved from Cassian to Kael, then to Ronan. It lingered briefly on Eliara."You're travelling as a group?" he asked."Yes," Cassian answered. "We're visiting several places before returning home.""Where are you staying tonight?""We haven't settled on a place yet."The official studied them for another moment before returning the documents."Keep them accessible during your journey. You may be stopped again farther south."Cassian thanked him, and they were allowed to continue.Eliara waited until they had moved well beyond the checkpoint before speaking."I thought he was going to ask us to step out.""Why?" Ronan asked."He
The road carried the group farther into Solmara, through towns that grew larger as the day progressed. They stopped briefly at a roadside restaurant for lunch before continuing toward their next destination.Eliara remained unusually quiet, but this time her thoughts were not only about her own bloodline. She kept thinking about Mara and what the woman had witnessed at the inn.Ronan eventually reached for her hand. “What’s wrong?”“Mara,” she replied. “What if someone finds out what she saw? She knows about the supernatural kingdoms now, and she knows we aren't human. What happens if the people looking for us discover that she knows too?”Ronan studied her face. “You think someone might go after her?”“Wouldn't they? If they're willing to attack us, what's stopping them from threatening her to get information about where we're going or who we are?” Eliara pulled her hand away and looked at him. “She helped us, and now she's been dragged into something she knows nothing about. I can't
Mara then paused, then looked at Eliara with growing curiosity."Can I ask you something?""Yes.""Are you a werewolf?"Eliara held her gaze for a moment. "Why do you think that?""I don't know. You seem different, and when I spoke about the girl, you looked as though the story meant something to you."Eliara considered how to respond. She did not know Mara well enough to share the truth about her abilities or the questions that had followed her since Noctaryn."I've heard stories too," she said at last. "That doesn't mean they're about me."Mara accepted the answer, although she did not seem entirely convinced."Fair enough. I won't push you. But if you're travelling to Nytheris, be careful. My aunt always said that the people who promised answers weren't necessarily the people who wanted to help."Eliara felt a chill run down her back.She thought of the mysterious woman from her dream, whose voice had promised that all her answers were waiting in a place she had never visited. She
They returned to the building, bringing the restrained attacker with them. Cassian and Lucian took him into a small storage room near the back entrance while Kael helped Ronan upstairs to treat his injury.Eliara followed them, leaving Liora to reassure Mara that the immediate danger had passed.Mara barely heard her.She had seen Ronan's eyes. She had watched him move in a way no human could. Whatever her aunt had told her all those years ago, it had not been a collection of bedtime stories.Mara waited until the group had settled before approaching the reception desk again. Her hands were still shaking, and she had to set down the glass she was holding because she was afraid she would drop it.She remembered her aunt sitting beside the fireplace when Mara was a child, telling her about vampires who walked among humans without revealing themselves. Her aunt had described werewolves whose strength could become frightening when provoked, and witches who guarded knowledge most people wo
By the time the group finished dinner, Cassian had received confirmation that a replacement vehicle would be available the following morning. Their original ride would need repairs, so they had little choice but to spend the night at the Willow Inn.Mara was clearing the last plates when Eliara approached the counter to thank her for the meal. They exchanged a few words before Eliara returned to the others, who were preparing to head upstairs.They had barely reached the staircase when a loud crash came from the back of the building.Mara turned toward the sound. "What was that?"Lucian was already moving toward the hThe others followed him, unwilling to leave a possible threat unchecked. Cassian reached the back door first and found it hanging open. Beyond it was a narrow service yard enclosed by a low wall, with a small storage shed at the far end.Lucian stepped outside, followed by Ronan and Kael. Cassian remained near the doorway while Eliara, Liora, and Mara stayed just inside,
The journey continued, and before long, the first signs of their destination appeared beyond the windows. Eliara watched the approaching buildings, the roads branching toward different parts of the country, and the people waiting near the arrival area.They had not encountered anything that suggested their enemies were tracking them. The delay at the crossing could have been entirely ordinary, and the newspaper article about the missing hikers might have had nothing to do with the supernatural world.Yet Eliara couldn't shake the feeling that their journey was drawing them toward something more complicated than any of them expected.They had come to Solmara to pass through unnoticed, but the human kingdom was teaching her something she hadn't considered before: a place didn't have to belong to the supernatural world to hold secrets of its own.Then suddenly, the vehicle began making strange noises shortly after they left the main road, forcing the driver to slow down. Cassian asked hi







