Nymera’s POV
I don’t remember running.
Only the cold night air tearing at my lungs, Dain’s blood sticky against my arms.
Kaelith led the way, his wolf senses sharp even through exhaustion.
The forest swallowed us.
Branches whipped my face. Roots snatched at my ankles.
Still, we ran.
Behind us, the echoes of howls—closer now.
Astra’s forces. The Council’s hounds.
They wouldn’t stop until we were dead.
We reached the river.
The current roared, swollen from spring rains.
Kaelith turned, grim. "We have to cross."
I glanced at Dain—barely conscious.
"He won’t survive the cold," I said.
Kaelith’s mouth tightened. "If we stay, we all die."
I looked across the water—black and furious.
No good options.
I gritted my teeth.
"I’ll carry him."
Kaelith hesitated—then nodded once.
To
