The forest had begun to settle into the strange quiet that only comes after violence. The Darkbreeds had finished their hunt hours ago, yet the air still carried the faint metallic scent of blood drifting through the trees. Somewhere far away, an owl called once, then silence swallowed the sound.
I sat beside the roots of the massive oak that Krager had chosen as our hiding place, my back resting against the rough bark. My body still ached from the wounds I had sustained in Silvercrest, but it was not the pain of my injuries that troubled me most.
It was the silence.
For the first time in my life, I knew nothing about what was happening in my own home.
Silvercrest had always been loud with life. Even when danger loomed, there were whispers, messengers, patrol reports, council discussio
