Clara
By the time the sun began to rise, the battlefield had transformed into something much calmer.
Exhaustion hung over the camp like a heavy blanket. The wounded had been treated through the night. Some wolves rested in their tents while witches worked gentle healing magic over those who needed it most. The freed prisoners slept in groups near the fires, wrapped in blankets and surrounded by warriors who now stood guard for them instead of over them.
For the first time in days, the forest felt peaceful.
I sat beside Chase near one of the fires, holding a warm mug of broth someone had pressed into my hands. The heat seeped into my fingers, chasing away the lingering chill that still lived in my bones from that dungeon.
Across the clearing I could see Xavier speaking quietly with one
