KORVUS'S POV
The ride back to the castle was suffocatingly silent—far more than when we had first departed for the church.
The air was heavy, thick with unspoken words and emotions that neither of us dared to voice. The only sound was the rhythmic clopping of the horses' hooves against the damp earth as we passed through the shadowed forest.
Kelilah sat stiffly beside me, her posture rigid, her gaze locked onto the trees outside. To an outsider, it might have seemed like she was admiring the beauty of nature, perhaps taking solace in the rustling leaves and golden sunbeams filtering through the branches. But I knew better.
I knew she was still replaying the horrors of what had unfolded in the village square.
The way the girl had smiled—even as the flames licked at her skin. The way h
