*Lyra*
The woods draw a canopy above us, branches clawing at the fading strip of sky. I crouch low, every muscle taut, listening for any sign through the mind-link, but Serena’s voice is gone.
“She’s been silent too long,” I whisper, turning toward Bram.
He nods. “We can’t stay here. Patrols will sweep the outer woods soon. If they find us–”
“I know.” The words rip from me sharper than I intend. He’s right, of course. Sitting here is as good as offering ourselves up. “If we get caught,” I mutter, teeth bared, “I’ll put wolfsbane in Kaelen’s mouth myself.”
He tosses me a sideways glance. “If we get caught, I'll put wolfsbane in my own mouth. I’d hate to see what they’d do to me. Probably burn me alive like the men I left in the woods…” Bram scans the trees. “We’ll shift, stay low,
