Chapter 29 Alliance

• The days following our triumph in the desert passed in a blur of exhaustion and celebration. Yet, despite the overwhelming sense of accomplishment, I couldn't shake the feeling that something was amiss. Duke had grown increasingly quiet and distant, his usual confidence replaced by a brooding worry that gnawed at my heart.
• One evening, as the sun dipped below the horizon, casting long shadows across our camp, I found Duke sitting alone by the remnants of our fire, staring into the distance. His shoulders were slumped, and there was a tension in his posture that I hadn't seen before.
• "Duke," I said softly, sitting down beside him. "What's wrong? You've been so quiet lately."