Raven's POV
We kept walking through the town.
My heart ached with each step, sinking deeper with every sunken face, every hollow stare that met mine. The air itself felt heavy—grief and hopelessness clinging to it like fog.
Children with dirt-smudged cheeks huddled beside shuttered stalls, their eyes too old for their small faces.
Women clutched their cloaks tighter, whispering to each other in low, defeated voices. And the men… the men didn’t even look up. Like they had already given up.
We turned a corner.
A shout rang out, followed by a sharp thud.
My eyes snapped toward the alley, where two older boys shoved a younger one against the wall. His clothes were torn, a thin stream of blood trailing from his lip.
“Hey!” I yelled before Rowan could stop me. Fury surged up like wildf
