Saltana gasped, thrown sideways off her mount. She hit the ground hard, and in the process, knocking the breath from her lungs as the world twisted. The guards scrambled, drawing their blades with wild eyes—but no one could see where the attack had come from.
Then... silence.
Smoke curled in serpentine spirals from the scorched path. The horses were fidgeted and terrified. The dawn had gone still, like it was holding its breath.
And from the trees, something stepped out.
Cloaked and holding a weapon that shimmered with that same unnatural glow.
Serakai stepped forward slowly, reaching one hand toward her side, and fixing her eyes like a predator spotting another. “That... wasn’t a warning shot.”
Saltana pulled herself up, clutching her ribs. “What was that?!”
The cloaked figure’s vo
