Elara’s POV
The fire crackled softly between us, casting flickering shadows across the trees.
Luca lay curled up beneath a thick cloak, his breathing steady and deep. Exhaustion had taken him quickly.
Kael sat a few feet away. He held onto a stick sketching a figure on the ground. His movements were steady, methodical, but I could tell his mind was elsewhere. After the encounter with Darin, he had been even quieter than usual.
I understood that kind of silence, the thought of memories pressing down too heavily to put into words.
Still, something unsettled me. A feeling I couldn’t shake.
I rubbed at my temple, trying to push away the strange pressure building behind my eyes. The flames of the fire wavered, stretching unnaturally, bending in ways that defied logic.
My pulse quickene
