The forest was bleeding.
Twilight dripped through the trees in fractured strands, casting a bruised purple hue across the clearing. Elara stood alone, her breath ragged, her knuckles white around the hilt of her dagger. The remnants of the ambush still clung to the ground: splintered arrows, dark smears of blood, and the metallic scent of fear.
Kael arrived like a storm.
His stride was thunder, his presence a sharp, cutting wind that seemed to silence even the restless crows above. His eyes found hers instantly, a flash of silver fury in the dimming light.
"What were you thinking?"
Elara stiffened. "I didn’t call for you."
"No," Kael growled. But you went into a contested border zone alone. Do you understand what could have happened?"
She lifted her chin, defiant. "I handled it."
H
