LYRA

For a long moment after Darian disappeared, none of us moved.

The forest had gone still again—but it wasn’t the same silence as before.

This one pressed in.

Heavy.

Watching.

“You shouldn’t have brought her.”

Kael’s voice cut through the quiet, low and controlled—but tight.

I turned slowly. “Excuse me?”

He didn’t look at me immediately. His gaze stayed fixed on the trees where Darian had vanished.

“You heard what he said,” Kael continued. “If they’re targeting ...