Kaelen gave him a look, unreadable again. "You think she's still alive?"
"She has to be," Lindarion said. "They wouldn't go through that much trouble just to kill her. Not yet."
Jaren nodded once. "Alright. We hold. Get more scouts out. Tighten patrols. If they moved once, they'll move again. They might leave a trail next time."
Lindarion didn't argue. But his jaw set tighter.
'They're not leaving anything they don't want us to find.'
Ashwing stirred on his shoulder. "You need rest. Food. Something hot. You've been running since yesterday."
'I can't rest. Not now.'
"You're no good to anyone half-dead."
Lindarion didn't reply. He watched Jaren walk back toward the command tent, watched Kaelen disappear into the trees again, maybe to scout, maybe just to be alone.
The sky above them stayed gray.
And somewhere out there, Luneth was alone.
Not dead.
But not safe.
And the longer they waited, the more she slipped further out of reach.
—
The wind shifted at dusk.
