Arius‘ pov.

The woods were quieter now.

Not because the birds had fled or the insects hushed. No. It was the silence of breath being held, of the earth itself watching, waiting.

We moved fast, but not too fast to seem like we knew where we were going. The witches trailed behind us in a formation that was neither casual nor military, but purposeful—every one of them tuned to some internal rhythm only they understood. Tiberius walked ahead, silent as always, his thoughts ...