BAYHAND

A friend in the shadow

The next day, Liora left the inn early, determined to find the cloaked man before he vanished again. She wandered the narrow streets until the mist thickened, curling between cottages like smoke. At the edge of the harbor, she found him waiting—as though he had been expecting her.

“You’re not afraid of me,” he said, his voice low and steady, carrying the salt of the sea. His hood shadowed his face, but she caught a glimpse of pale eyes, sharp and restless, like waves in moonlight.

“Should I be?” she asked, though her pulse raced. He studied her in silence before finally pulling back the hood. His features were lean, his skin weathered, his dark hair threaded with salt. But it was his gaze that unsettled her most—it seemed to hold the weight of storms.

“My name is Kael,” he said. “And if you mean to stay in Bayhand, you should know the truth. This town is not cursed by chance. It is bound.”

Those words struck Liora like a bell. She leaned closer, clutching her notebook. “Bound to what?” But Kael shook his head, casting a glance at the sea. “Not here. Not in the open. Meet me after sundown, at the chapel’s cliffs. Then, perhaps, you’ll understand.”