Leah Carter’s Point of View
The night we left the Hollow was colder than I had ever felt, not because of the wind, but because of what we were leaving behind.
Kael didn’t speak as we pass through the gates. The guards didn’t meet our eyes, even those who had once sworn loyalty to him looked away. Exile, it wasn’t just a word. It was a quiet execution of everything we had built.
Emma slept in my arms, wrapped in a thick cloak. Caleb walked beside me, his head bowed low, his sword strapped to his back. Every step away from the Hollow felt like losing a piece of home.
The forest swallowed us, trees tall and black against a clouded sky, behind us, the lights of the Hollow faded until there was only darkness. Kael finally stopped when we reached the ridge that overlooked the valley. He look
