The Lie That Draws Blood
The convoy rolled out at dusk.
Torches flared along the eastern road, their light cutting through the falling dark like a deliberate invitation. Wolves moved in tight formation, armored and armed, their presence loud and unmistakable. The message was clear to anyone watching.
Lyra Ashen was being moved.
From the shadows of the inner keep, Lyra watched it all through a narrow slit between stone and iron.
She stood barefoot on cold rock, wrapped in a dark cloth that swallowed her shape. No torches burned here. No guards stood openly. The silence was thick, controlled, deliberate.
Tyler had hidden her exactly where he said he would.
The heart of Black Fang territory.
“You’re sure they’ll see it?” she asked quietly.
Tyler stood a few paces away, half-shadowed,
