*Outskirts, Nightfall*

 The forest swallowed them whole. Lesley ran until her lungs burned, her dress were torn by thorns, her wrists still raw from where Starblood’s dungeon chains had dug into her skin. Behind her, Aria kept pace, silent but sharp-eyed.

 They knew Starblood's guards would have discovered the broken locks and empty cells. Somewhere, Ryder and Crystal would be gathering hunters. But for now, they were ghosts in the woods, vanishing into the dark.

 Lesley’s chest ached, ...