Morning had barely settled across the packhouse when everything snapped sideways.
We were still in the kitchen. Felix was still committing crimes against pancakes. Leah was still muttering about runic patterns while Ember tried not to laugh at Felix’s cooking. It felt like peace. A fragile peace, but peace all the same.
Then Leah froze.
Not just stopped talking. Froze.
Her spine went rigid. Her fingers tightened around her pen until it snapped. Her breath caught in her throat like someone had reached inside her chest and crushed her lungs.
Her head jerked up. “Do you smell that?”
The room fell silent.
Nathan stiffened behind me. Felix stopped flipping a pancake mid air. Ember’s hands trembled so hard her tea sloshed.
I blinked at Leah. “Smell what?”
Leah inhaled slowly, shaking. W
