The forest feels brighter on the walk back to the packhouse. Ember disappears into the trees with Alder, their silhouettes slowly fading into sunlight. I watch them until the branches swallow their figures completely. She deserves something soft. Something gentle. Something that is not soaked in blood or fear or mines or magic.
A small part of me relaxes.
A very small part.
Nathan walks beside me, his hand brushing mine. He looks calm on the surface, but I know him. I know the tension in his jaw, the way his shoulders sit too high, the faint twitch of his fingers. He is thinking. Planning. Guarding. Worrying.
He always worries.
Felix and Lira walk a little ahead, whispering about moss identification. Riven leans against Leah as they follow behind us in slow steps. His strength is retu
