Ottilie's voice cut through the courtyard, sharp with alarm. "Rider approaching, alone, moving fast!"
Kane grabbed a blade and ran for the gate, Talyn and Cassius close behind, exhausted bodies forcing themselves into readiness despite everything already survived that day.
"Hold position," Kane called to the guards lining the wall. "Nobody moves until we know who this is."
The rider slowed at the gate's edge, and Kane's stomach dropped at the face beneath the hood.
"Lira," Kane said, disbelief plain in his voice. "You went missing three days ago. We thought."
Lira dismounted slowly, her movements stiff and careful, something unfamiliar in the way she held herself.
"I'm sorry," Lira said, voice tight. "I didn't want to disappear the way I did. I didn't have a choice."
Wren, who had f
