CHAPTER 4

Evening settled over the forest, the last streaks of sunlight slipping between the trees. The air held that quiet, expectant stillness that came just before nightfall, when the birds quieted.

Lyra sat on the fallen log, elbows resting on her knees, listening to the forest breathe around her.

She was early.

Earlier than she had been before, but she couldn’t help it. The anxious energy in her chest had been building all day, a restless flutter she couldn’t shake. What if her father had noticed her slipping out at odd hours? What if the patrol routes had changed? What if the rogues had moved closer to the border? What if Talia didn’t come?

Lyra tried to push the thoughts away, but they still clung stubbornly to her mind.

She rubbed her palms against her thighs, then she heard it.

A soft footstep. Light. Familiar.

Talia.

Lyra stood before she even realised she’d moved. Relief washed through her, loosening the tight coil in her chest.

“There you are,” Lyra said, brushing a loose strand of hair behind her ear. “I thought maybe you weren’t coming.”

Talia shook her head. “I said I would.”

Lyra smiled. “I know. I just… didn’t want to be out here alone.”

The border always felt different at night. Not dangerous, exactly, but eerie. And it was worse now she knew about the rogues.

“You’re not alone anymore,” Talia said simply.

Lyra’s shoulders relaxed. She opened her mouth to ask how Talia’s day had been, but a sharp sound cut through the air.

A twig snapping.

Lyra froze. Then the scent hit her a second later, and it was familiar. It was her evening patrol team.

Talia’s eyes widened. “What was…”

Lyra grabbed her wrist. “Patrol. Move.”

Talia stumbled after her as Lyra pulled her into the trees, and branches whipped against their arms. Lyra’s pulse thundered in her ears.

She knew the patrol routes, she knew the timing, and she knew the patterns. But she hadn’t expected anyone this far north at dusk. Not unless they were searching for something.

It had to be because of the rogue sightings.

Voices drifted through the trees.

Talia’s breath hitched. “Lyra…”

“Quiet.”

Lyra scanned the forest, searching for cover. Her eyes landed on a large fallen pine tree, its roots torn from the earth, leaving a hollow area beneath the trunk. It would be cramped. But they would be hidden.

She tugged Talia toward it. “Get in, quickly.” She whispered.

Talia hesitated only for a second before dropping to her knees and crawling beneath the trunk. Lyra followed, pulling branches and leaves over the entrance. The area was tight, just as she thought, forcing them shoulder to shoulder, legs tangled awkwardly. But they were hidden.

Talia trembled.

Lyra pressed a steadying hand to her arm. “Stay still.”

Footsteps approached.

Lyra’s heart slammed against her ribs. She could now smell the Stormfall warriors' scents. Then she heard them.

Garron and Ana.

“…tracks near the neutral ground,” Garron was saying. “Fresh ones.”

Lyra’s stomach twisted.

Talia’s scent.

Without thinking, Lyra reached for the pouch at her belt. Her fingers closed around crushed herbs, sage, pine resin, and bitterroot. Stormfall trackers used them to mask their own scent during hunts.

She pressed the herbs into the soil around them, rubbing them into the earth with her palm. The sharp, pungent smell filled the small space, overwhelming everything else.

Talia’s eyes widened in understanding.

Lyra mouthed, “Don’t worry.”

Above them, she heard Ana crouching. “Something moved through here recently.”

Lyra’s stomach clenched.

Talia’s fingers curled into Lyra’s sleeve, gripping tight.

Ana straightened. “False alarm. Just our herb scent. Probably from the other patrol team from earlier.”

Garron grunted. “Let’s keep moving. The Alpha wants this area swept before nightfall. And I want to go home.”

Their footsteps faded away as they left the area. Lyra didn’t move or talk straight the way; it was too risky, they could still be close.

Once they had waited long enough and she was sure they wouldn’t return, only then did she exhale, her breath shaking.

Talia sagged against the trunk, letting out a long, trembling breath. “That was… gods.”

Lyra let out a breath that was half laugh, half disbelief. “Too close.”

“Way too close,” Talia whispered.

That had been too close. Too dangerous. And way too risky.

But Lyra didn’t regret coming out to see her. Not for a second.

Talia finally shifted, bumping her shoulder lightly against Lyra’s. “You saved me.”

Lyra shook her head. “I wasn’t going to let them find you, or me.”

“I dread to think what would have happened if they saw us together.”

“Tell me about it,” Lyra said quietly. “We would be dead… literally.”

Because Talia was the enemy, and not just any enemy, but her father's biggest. But that didn’t matter to her; Talia had become important to her.

Talia gave a shaky laugh. “I thought my heart was going to explode.”

Lyra huffed. “Mine too.”

Talia nudged her again. “You? Scared?”

Lyra smirked. “I didn’t say scared.”

“Your heartbeat said otherwise,” Talia teased.

Lyra rolled her eyes. “Yeah, yeah, says you, your heart was beating a lot faster than mine.”

Talia snorted. “Fair point.”

“Come on, it should be safe to get out now,” Lyra said as she shifted.

They crawled out from beneath the tree, brushing dirt and leaves from their clothes.

Talia dusted off her trousers. “We need to be more careful going forward.”

Lyra nodded. “We will. I don’t want this to stop our friendship.”

“It won't. I’m not ready to throw in the towel just yet.” Talia confirmed, smiling.

Lyra smiled back. She was glad she wasn’t the only one thinking it.

So, they would keep meeting. They would keep risking this. Because their friendship mattered. Because Talia understood her in a way no one else did. And because Lyra couldn’t imagine going back to the silence she’d lived in before.

Talia glanced at her, expression softening. “Thank you.”

Lyra swallowed. “For what?”

“For being so quick to hide us. That was all you.”

“Anytime,” Lyra said.

They stood there for a moment, letting it sink in.

“I think we should call it a night now,” Talia said. She was looking around. It had rattled her, Lyra could tell.

Lyra nodded and pulled Talia into a hug. “I will see you tomorrow.”

They pulled back, and Lyra watched as Talia headed back to her border. Making sure she was safely within her pack before leaving. Only then did Lyra turn and return home herself.

On the way back, she couldn’t help but feel like she was being watched. She looked behind her, but there was no sign of anyone.

She ignored it and carried on home.