Kalen POV
Nora didn’t wake easily.
Her body had tensed in sleep, brow furrowed as if still locked in a war that refused to end. The moment her eyes blinked open, she gripped the dagger beside her, instinct guiding her before memory caught up.
“It’s me,” I murmured, crouching beside her. “We’re safe. For now.”
She exhaled slowly and sat up, eyes scanning the forest around us. The morning mist was thick, but stillness clung to it like armor.
“How’s Elias?” she asked.
“Resting. The fever hasn’t set in. Valya packed his wound with frostroot bark—it should hold.”
She nodded, but worry lingered behind her gaze. Not just for Elias. For Liana. For what came next.
We both knew there was no going back now.
Only forward.
The journey toward Ravenspire was harsh.
The forest narrowed, turnin
