The bell rang like a curse behind us.
Once. Twice. Then again.
Each echo rolled through the palace like thunder, calling wolves from every corridor, every barracks, every watchtower. The alarm meant only one thing.
A prisoner had escaped.
And that prisoner was me.
Aisha gripped my arm as we ran down the corridor and burst through a side door that led into the outer courtyard. Cold night air hit my face, sharp and merciless, but it also carried the scent of freedom.
And the forest.
The towering black silhouettes of the trees waited beyond the palace walls like silent guardians.
If we reached them, we had a chance.
If we didn’t…
I pushed the thought away.
“Move, Luna,” Aisha whispered urgently.
Aghata ran ahead of us, clearing the path, her blade still wet with the blood of the g
