When the sun dipped below the horizon, the group finally stopped to make camp. A clearing near a small brook offered a temporary reprieve from their endless march. The fire crackled softly in the center of their makeshift camp, casting flickering shadows on their tired faces.
Ezra sat slightly apart from the others, sharpening his sword with slow, methodical movements. The scrape of metal against stone was oddly soothing in the stillness of the night. Caroline approached him, her boots crunching softly against the damp earth.
"You’re wearing that frown again," she said lightly, lowering herself onto a fallen log across from him.
Ezra paused, glancing up at her. The firelight danced in her sharp eyes, turning them into molten gold. "It’s hard not to when every step takes us closer to som
