Chapter 9
Elara’s POV
The road was far less forgiving once we left the quiet embrace of the forests. The path stretched wide under the glaring sun, lined with brittle grass and gnarled trees that looked half-dead from thirst. My cloak clung to my skin, damp with sweat, and the scholar walking beside me seemed to notice my fatigue.
“You must pace yourself, child,” he murmured, his eyes soft but cautious as always. He had not given me his full name—only “Orin”—but his presence was strangely reassuring. He carried himself like a man who had seen much of the world, the weight of too many stories resting in his voice.
“I’m fine,” I lied, adjusting the strap of the satchel at my side. The memory of my ransacked home haunted me, the empty space where the pendant once lay now an invisible woun
