The fields stretched wide and empty beneath a low, bruised sky. The company trudged across the sodden earth, boots sinking into mud that clung like chains. The wind cut sharp, carrying the smell of rain yet to fall.
No one spoke.
The silence had thickened since Serenya joined them, turning heavy, brittle. Kaelen could feel it pressing down like a lid on a jar. When voices rose, they were sharp and short, flaring quick before dying out again.
At the rear, Mira muttered to Garen, her voice a low rasp. “We should’ve cut her loose days ago. She’s poison.”
“She’ll bring us all to ruin,” Garen agreed.
Kaelen heard them, though he kept his face forward. He heard all of them, every whisper, every suspicion that swirled like smoke through the company.
Serenya walked as always at the edge of t
