Zylia’s POV
We left the ruins when dawn broke.
The wind had changed.
I didn’t know how I could tell, but I felt it , heavy, sharp, wrong.
We’d been walking for hours. Raven led the way, silent as always, her blade drawn even though the forest was quiet. Mason followed behind her, his steps careful. I was somewhere between them, trying not to stumble over my own exhaustion.
Every breath burned. Every heartbeat felt like it was fighting something unseen.
When we stopped to rest by a fallen tree, I sank to the ground without waiting for permission. My palms pressed against the cold earth, and for a moment, it pulsed beneath my skin , faint and strange, like a heartbeat that wasn’t mine.
Raven’s gaze flicked toward me. “You look pale.”
I tried to laugh, but it came out weak. “I feel wo
