(Kat’s POV)
The trail had gone cold.
Kat crouched near the edge of the clearing, her gaze sweeping over the disturbed earth one more time as if it might reveal something she’d missed. It didn’t. The ground had already begun to settle, the scent faded just enough to be useless.
“They haven’t been here for at least a day,” one of the guards said behind her.
“I know,” Kat replied without looking back.
The camp itself was nothing more than a temporary stop—ashes from a fire pit, a few scattered impressions where bodies had rested, the faintest traces of movement through the surrounding brush. It was sloppy work, but not careless. Whoever they were...they hadn’t lingered.
Kat rose slowly, brushing her hands off as her eyes narrowed slightly. Four guards had come with her. All trained. All
