The Mark Awakens
Casius POV
The pines swallowed Ilode’s shadow long before the sound of her steps disappeared.
Casius waited, jaw clenched, until even the birds stopped warning her path. He’d done it—let her go. His hand still burned where she’d grasped it in parting, the promise whispered like a curse.
She lied to me, Casius. She killed my parents. She’ll burn for it.
And then she was gone.
He exhaled through his teeth, a thin mist ghosting into the cold air. “Moon help me,” he muttered. “If I’ve just unleashed another monster…”
By the time he reached the convoy, smoke had thickened the valley. The land below looked bruised in the dying light—ashes, bodies, silence. Lucian was still holding command in the village, drawing pressure away from the evacuation route. Talia had already b
