The first light of dawn crept over the jagged horizon, painting the sky in hues of muted gold and pale lavender. The cold, thin air carried the scent of damp moss and distant rain. The tower behind them was nothing more than a black silhouette against the rising sun, a grim reminder of what they had escaped—and what still hunted them.
Ezra led the group forward, his sword strapped across his back, his sharp blue eyes scanning the winding path ahead. The trail was narrow, carved into the mountainside, with sheer drops on one side and sharp, crumbling rocks on the other. The faint sound of distant water echoed somewhere far below, hidden in the mist that clung stubbornly to the valley floor.
Caroline walked close behind him, her golden hair tucked into her hood, her face pale and drawn. He
