(POV Kaelan)
The stone corridor still felt suffocating as I stepped out of the Elder’s chamber. The smell of incense and burning candles clung to my skin, sharp like the smoke of war. My footsteps echoed loudly, like hammers striking every inch of the walls. I just wanted to get away. From the stone chairs. From their eyes. From every word that cut like a blade.
But that voice followed me.
“I never thought you’d turn into a coward, Kaelan.”
Ayra.
I stopped, my back tensing. Her tone was the same as before—sweet on the surface, venom underneath. Slowly, I turned to see her standing at the end of the corridor, her gaze sharp. Her cloak swept the floor, her eyes glinting faintly under the torchlight.
“Coward?” I repeated, my voice flat but edged with emotion. “Funny. Out of everyone in
