They had escaped.
Mud clung to Lyra's feet as she and Kael followed the riverbank, half-running, half-stumbling through tangled undergrowth and gnarled roots slick with moss. The sound of rushing water drowned out their breathless gasps and the crunch of twigs beneath their feet.
Above them, the forest canopy filtered the moonlight into broken shards of silver and shadow. Night pressed in close, and every sound—the rustle of leaves, the snap of a branch—felt magnified.
Behind them, faint and distant, voices shouted. Then silence.
Kael stumbled, gritting his teeth as he caught himself on a low-hanging branch. His tunic was torn at the shoulder, blood already drying where a blade had grazed him earlier. Lyra reached out to steady him, her hand brushing his arm.
"We're close," she whispered. "There's a cave just ahead. I can feel it."
He gave her a sharp look but didn't question it.
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The forest no longer groaned with pursuit. No voices called from behind, no branches snapped with chasing footsteps. The hush that followed was not laced with dread, but relief. They walked slowly now, no longer fleeing but searching—following the river's course as it curved through dense woods and over scattered rocks.
Lyra's steps were heavy, her legs trembling from the sprint that had carried them through half the forest. Beside her, Kael leaned more heavily on her shoulder than before, his breath ragged, the wound in his side still seeping through his tunic. But his eyes were alert now—tired, yes, but no longer wild with fear.
They were safe.
Noxy's voice echoed faintly in Lyra's mind, cool and unwavering.
"The threat is gone now. I have already took care of them. The last group passed the river's bend ten minutes ago—silent, unaware they were walking toward their end. They will not return again."
Lyra didn't respond right away. The weight of Noxy's words settled deep. There was no triumph in the voice, only finality.
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After another half hour of slow walking, Lyra spotted a cleft in the embankment where stone rose from the riverside, partially veiled by thick ferns and jutting roots. Behind it, a narrow gap opened into a shallow cave, tucked safely into the earth.
"There," she said, pointing. "Let's rest there."
Kael only nodded. His face was pale.
Inside, the cave welcomed them with cool, still air. The space was wider than expected, with a low ceiling and walls dappled with moss. Water dripped rhythmically from a crack near the far end, the sound oddly comforting. Lyra helped Kael settle on a flat stone near the back.
They would not need to run anymore.
Lyra exhaled deeply as she eased him down and knelt beside him. "Let me see the wound again."
Kael grunted but complied, pulling aside the blood-crusted cloth. She inspected it carefully, wiping it clean with water and wrapping it again in fresh strips torn from her undershirt.
"It's healing faster than I expected," she murmured.
"Perks of being cursed with power, I guess," he muttered dryly.
Lyra allowed a faint smile. "Well, at least you'll live. And that's more than we could say an hour ago."
Kael looked at her, something unreadable in his expression. "They're gone? For real?"
She paused, then nodded. "They've been handled."
Kael blinked, then glanced toward the cave entrance. "All of them?"
"Yes. Quietly."
He didn't ask how. Maybe he didn't want to know.
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They sat in silence for a time, letting the stillness soak into their bones. The night outside deepened, but within the cave, there was a sense of being shielded—cradled by earth and stone.
Eventually, Kael spoke again.
"We'll need to stay here for a while. A few days, at least. I can't move well yet."
Lyra nodded. "That was my thought too. My feeling says it's safe here. The cave is shielded. Hidden."
Of course, the feeling Lyra had was, in fact, Noxy's assurance.
Kael shifted to get more comfortable, jaw tight with pain.
"Then we rest. Recuperate. And figure out what's next."
"I was thinking," Lyra said slowly, "you mentioned that you were on a journey… before they ambushed you."
Kael's brows drew together, then he nodded. "Yeah. I was searching for traces of my brother."
"Did you pass a village or some other settlement on your way here?"
Thinking for a moment, Kael said,
"There was a village. A small one, north of here. By the river, near some old ruins. Might take two days once I'm steady."
"Then that's where we go next."
He looked at her again—more searching this time. "You sure?"
"I don't know what else is out there," she said simply. "But I know we can't stay here forever."
He gave a faint, wry chuckle. "You've got guts, Lyra."
"Or I'm too tired to be scared."
There was a pause. Then Kael added, quieter this time,
"You stayed with me. Even though you didn't have to. Most people would've run."
Lyra blinked, surprised by the softness in his tone.
"I didn't think about it. I just… couldn't leave you behind."
He looked down at the floor, then nodded once. "Thanks."
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Outside, the river murmured like a lullaby, and the forest made no move to follow them.
Inside, Lyra leaned back against the cave wall, feeling the stone press into her spine. Noxy remained quiet now, like a guardian watching from the dark, her silence a reassurance more than absence.
"Will they really not come back?" Lyra asked silently.
"They won't. I've twisted the path behind us. The forest itself forgets where you've been. Let them chase ghosts in the mist."
After some days, they would start walking again. But for now, they had stillness. They had breath. They had safety.
And for the first time in days—
They had time to rest properly.