Sebastian’s POV
Outside the archway, I glimpsed the first glimmer of the river’s reflection. A guard tossed a torch into a brazier and it erupted in flame, throwing my face into stark light. I saw eagerness in his eyes, a wicked grin of soldiers eager for battle. I allowed myself a single nod of approval. “Move out.”
Under the moon’s cold gaze, we slipped into the forest’s embrace. The trees arched overhead, branches knitting a barricade against starlight. My column crept forward, cloaked in darkness. I walked amid them, every step a promise, every breath measured. No one spoke. We communicated with gestures and flicked torches. The only sound was the hush of many boots on damp earth.
The hidden path was narrow, ancient, unused for decades. Moss carpeted its stones. Roots curled across
