☽ Nyra ☾
The cave’s warning sat in my bones as we left. Zarek. Vespera. My death. Not a vague fear anymore, but a clear picture that refused to fade. Lucan walked close beside me as we moved through the ravine and back into the trees. He didn’t ask me to repeat what I saw. He didn’t soften it. He simply held it like a weapon we both needed to learn how to use.
“Then we move first,” Lucan said.
I didn’t know what moving first looked like yet, but I knew one thing. I couldn’t afford to be distracted by questions about my parents or what my blood meant. Not while Vespera and Vaelor were planning in the dark. We traveled in silence for a while, our steps careful on the uneven ground. The deeper forest held shadows like secrets. Every snapped twig made my muscles tighten. Nia stayed close u
