The fire crackled in a slow, steady rhythm, but Arius didn’t hear it. His hands moved by instinct, blade gliding across the whetstone with soft, even pressure, but his mind was elsewhere.

Freya had wandered into the forest, her usual sarcasm trailing behind her like perfume.

He should’ve followed.

Not because she needed guarding—though she did—but because the silence she left behind was dangerous. Without her presence, his thoughts became too loud.

At first, ...