HARPER'S POV
I can still feel the sting of Talin's blood on my knuckles.
Not literal blood, no. Just... the weight of his last breath. The way his eyes rolled back when the dart hit. The way his body dropped like it had been waiting to die. And maybe it had. Maybe people like him always know when the end is coming.
Maybe they know that it is only a matter of time before their sins come knocking and it is time to pay the price.
He didn't even look surprised.
He looked… relieved. Annoyed but relieved
Now we are holed up in what used to be a ranger outpost, tucked away in the foothills, half-buried in overgrowth and silence. The place smells like dust and mold like no one has breathed in it for years. Mira says that is a good sign. This means it has been forgotten. Off the
