POV: Lila & Mira
Lila woke with her heart racing.
For one disoriented moment, she thought she was back in Korren’s camp—snow packed hard beneath her spine, the air sharp with iron and fear. Her fingers curled reflexively, nails digging into wool blankets instead of frozen dirt.
She sucked in a breath and sat upright.
Stone walls. A high ceiling. Warmth.
The packhouse.
Across the room, Mira stirred, her dark hair spilling over her pillow as she turned sharply, eyes snapping open at the same instant.
“You felt it too,” Mira said quietly.
It wasn’t a question.
Lila nodded, pressing a hand to her chest. The ache there hadn’t faded since the night Holly was taken. It pulsed now like a bruise—dull, constant, impossible to ignore.
“She’s farther away,” Lila whispered.
Mira’s jaw tighte
