The arrows never missed.
One after another, they cut through the forest—sharp, lethal, and sure.
Thwip.
Another masked assassin dropped.
Thwip.
A second one gasped, then tumbled from his perch high in the branches.
Panic spread. Faces turned up, wild and desperate.
“Find him!”
“He’s in the trees!”
“No…”
One soldier spun around, eyes wide. “He’s everywhere!”
Kaelira stood frozen, chaos swirling all around her. She couldn’t see the archer. Just snatches of movement overhead, quick as shadows.
Every arrow landed. Every hit meant death.
And then—only four assassins left. Their leader sprawled at Kaelira’s feet.
A survivor clenched his sword, breath ragged. “We retreat!”
“But—”
“I said now!”
The masked warriors didn’t wait. They slipped away, melting back into the trees as fast
