The seventh night was the final test, the last hurdle before freedom. Valia knew this as she stumbled through the forest, her body pushed to its limits. She had survived almost all assassination attempts, but the final challenge was yet to come.
As the first light of dawn began to filter through the trees, the forest stirred. Not with birdsong, but with the deliberate thud of approaching footsteps. Branches snapped, leaves shivered. Something was coming straight for her, bold and unhurried.
Valia exhaled wearily, rolling her shoulders as if shedding the night’s exhaustion. “I can’t catch a break, can I?” she muttered, eyes narrowing toward the sound.
He was enormous, a giant among men, with scales that glinted like polished silver in the dim light that indicated he was from Killmane's C
