Elise basket was half‑full; bread, a handful of apples, a strip of cloth she had bargained for. She adjusted it against her hip, her steps was unhurried, and her mind far from danger. For a moment, she almost believed she could live like this, unnoticed.
Then—the sound.
A shout tore through the crowd, it was sharp and commanding. Boots strike the stone, heavy. The air shifted and the market’s chatter collapsing into panic.
“Elise Falconer!”
Her breath caught, the name rang out like a curse in the crowd, it echoed against the walls. Knights surged into the street, their rifles raised, their armor glinted in the light. The crowd scattered as stalls overturned.
Elise’s heart lurched. *They found me.*
The streets erupted in chaos. Elise darted through the crowd. Breath ragged, uneve
