Chapter 106

• The days following the mysterious message were tense, each one feeling like the calm before a storm. Our patrols reported no unusual activity, but that didn’t ease the knot in my stomach. I knew better than to think silence meant safety. Something was coming, and every instinct told me it was going to be worse than anything we’d faced before.
• Leo stood across from me in our private quarters, the fire crackling low as the evening settled into darkness. His brow was furrowed in concentration as he examined the maps we’d been poring over for days, but I could tell something was off. He wasn’t as sharp as usual—there was a slight unsteadiness in his movements, a slowness in his responses.
• “Leo,” I said softly, trying not to startle him.