We left the watchtower at the first true dark.
The sun had bled out behind the treeline, leaving only a thin line of copper along the horizon. The shadows had swallowed the clearing, and the world had become a place of half-seen shapes and whispered sounds. No torches. No farewell. The wards released us with a low, reluctant hum, as if the old stone disliked letting Darius's bloodline walk away still bleeding. I felt the magic release like a held breath finally exhaled, and then we were moving.
Lina carried the single pack. I carried most of Darius's weight. His arm was slung across my shoulders, his body leaning into mine with every step. The brand on my forearm and the arrow wound in his thigh spoke to each other through the bond with every step, a constant pulse of shared pain that se
