Casius POV
Rain hammered the pines and ran in thin lines down my face. The forest blurred into dark green and shadow. Every sense was raw: cold biting my skin, my blood thudding in my ears, Ryen’s weight still warm under my boot. This place had no room for mercy.
Ilode moved like a quick rumor—sharp angles, sudden. She fought with the same skill we’d all learned on the training field, sharpened into something more challenging by darker things. The dart in Ryen’s neck had been clean and quiet, precisely the kind of thing she did: fast, precise, without show.
I raised my blade because that’s what I knew to do. The world narrowed to steel and breath. We circled in a small clearing, lightning flashing above us.
“You should have stayed with the convoy,” I said, trying to sound steadier than
