Chapter 5: The First Kill

Lyria’s POV Night draped itself over the forest like a hunting cloak silent, patient, waiting. I moved through the trees without sound, my steps guided by instinct more ancient than my own blood. Every sense stretched sharp and new. I could hear the heartbeat of a rabbit trembling beneath a fallen log twenty paces away. I could smell the metallic tang of storm clouds beyond the ridge. But more than that… I could smell him. A guard. One of Rowan’s. The one who had tied the rope around...