(Liora POV)
The northern wilds were colder than I remembered—wind slicing through my cloak, carrying the sharp scent of pine and frost. I moved carefully, hood low, tracking herbs burning faintly in the pouch at my belt to mask my scent from both pack hunters and whatever else stalked these ridges. Nova's trail was easy to follow: broken branches, faint blood spots dried dark on stone from the pass fight, the subtle hum of light-touched energy lingering in the air like perfume. Every step north pulled me deeper into unclaimed territory—away from Darius's reach, away from Serena's whispers, toward something I couldn't yet name.
