The pale light of dawn crept slowly across the sky, brushing the tree canopy above in soft hues of rose and amber. A chill clung to the forest floor like a second skin, soaking into Rhea’s bones as she lay curled beneath a low-branched pine. Her muscles ached from the uneven ground, and the biting cold stiffened her joints until she finally forced herself upright.
Around her, the small group of boys she’d fallen in with the previous evening stirred, yawning and muttering half-hearted greetings as they rubbed sleep from their eyes. The fire had long since burned down to a bed of ash and glowing coals. One of them, Ryker, kicked the embers with his boot, sending a small puff of smoke into the morning air.
“Up,” he snapped, voice gruff and still edged with sleep. “We’ve got ground to cover.
