I frowned. "What do you mean?"
Ade exhaled sharply, as if she were debating whether or not to tell me the truth. She turned away, grabbing a small pouch from a wooden shelf, her movements quick and frustrated.
"You don't understand, Circe," she said, shaking her head. "Your father wanted you dead. Not wounded. Not banished. Dead. And if he finds out you're alive, he'll finish what he started."
I sat up, ignoring the sharp pain in my ribs. "I don't care. I won't let him control my life. And I know what he wants but Sante would protect me."
Ade let out a bitter laugh. "Your father already has control over you and your so called Sante. You're just too stubborn to see it."
I clenched my fists. "I can fight him. I can stop him."
She turned to me, her dark eyes filled with something I couldn't quite name. Pity.
"No," she said softly. "You can't."
I bristled, ready to argue, but my body betrayed me. I was weak barely able to sit upright, let alone take on my father's entire army. But I had to. I had no choice.
Sante needed me.
I forced myself to stand, swaying slightly. "I have to go back."
Ade's expression darkened. "You still don't get it, do you?"
I met her gaze, frustrated. "Get what?"
She hesitated, then took a deep breath. "Sante betrayed you."
The words slammed into me like a physical blow.
I shook my head. "No. He—he wouldn't."
"I heard it myself," Ade continued, her voice grim. "After you fell, he didn't come looking for you. He went straight to Lycaon. It was all planned. Your father wanted you out of the way and what was the best way to do that, by using your so called love. A weakness."
My blood ran cold. "You're lying."
She sighed, crossing her arms. "Believe what you want. But don't say I didn't warn you."
"I don't even know you."
"I saved you. That's enough to know. That man also saved you but at a price. To return you to your father and collect ransom. I am pure minded."
I turned away, my thoughts a whirlwind of denial. Sante would never betray me. He loved me. He wouldn't… he couldn't—
But the doubt had already begun to fester.
Sante was held by my father's men. He could have fought them off but he didn't. Suddenly he was beside my father which felt like a false image formed from my brain.
Ade moved toward the door, barring my exit. "You need to stay here. Rest. If you go back, you'll be walking straight into a trap."
I said nothing. I couldn't.
She watched me for a moment, then sighed. "Fine. You want proof? I'll get it for you."
She turned and walked toward the back of the hut. "Stay here. Don't do anything stupid."
The second she was gone, I moved.
My body protested with every step, but I ignored it. I had to see for myself.
I wrapped a dark cloak around my shoulders, the fabric rough against my bandaged skin. Ade was wrong. She had to be. Sante would never betray me.
And I was going to prove it.
The night air was crisp as I slipped out of the hut, the forest stretching before me like an open invitation. The path to Lurnaborn was dangerous, but I had traveled it before. I could make it.
The wind whispered through the trees, rustling the leaves like secrets being passed between ghosts. I kept my steps light, my breath steady. My heart pounded, a mixture of adrenaline and desperation.
I had to see him. I had to know.
The moon cast long shadows across the forest floor, making everything look twisted, unnatural. But I pushed forward.
I wasn't afraid.
Until I heard it.
A soft sound—too careful, too precise.
My steps faltered. I turned slowly, my pulse hammering in my throat.
Dark figures emerged from the trees, their forms shifting like shadows given life. They had been waiting for me.
My breath hitched.
I wasn't alone.
Goosebumps filled my skin as the figures emerged from the shadows, moving with predatory silence. Their presence was suffocating, pressing in from all sides. My heart pounded in my chest, but I didn't panic.
I couldn't afford to panic.
I shifted into a defensive stance, my father's grueling training kicking in. The pain from my wounds was a dull throb, but I forced myself to ignore it. I had fought through worse.
One of them stepped forward, his face partially obscured by a hood. "You shouldn't have left your hiding place, girl."
I said nothing, scanning my surroundings. Three in front. Two behind. One more to the side.
Six against one.
I could work with that.
The first man lunged.
I dodged, my movements sharp, swift. His blade missed by inches, slicing through the air where I had been. I countered with a kick to his ribs, sending him stumbling back. The moment he faltered, I struck again, my fist connecting with his jaw. A sickening crack echoed through the trees.
One down.
Another came at me with a dagger, aiming straight for my throat. I ducked, twisting my body to avoid the blade, then grabbed his wrist and wrenched it backward. He screamed as the bone snapped.
Two down.
The others hesitated now, circling me like wolves assessing their prey. I knew this tactic. They were waiting for me to make a mistake.
I wouldn't give them the chance.
A figure lunged from behind. I pivoted just in time, using his momentum against him, flipping him over my shoulder. He crashed into the ground with a grunt, but before I could deliver a final blow, a sharp pain exploded in my side.
I gasped, my vision blurring for a moment. Another had managed to land a strike, his dagger slicing across my ribs.
It was deep. But not enough to stop me.
I gritted my teeth and drove my elbow into his throat, watching as he staggered back, clutching his neck.
More footsteps. More shadows moving in.
I was losing ground.
Another came at me, his sword raised. I twisted away, but something hard slammed into the back of my head.
Pain.
Blinding, unbearable pain.
I stumbled, my knees buckling beneath me. The world spun, tilting in and out of focus. Voices blurred together. My vision darkened at the edges.
No.
I fought against the pull of unconsciousness, but my body betrayed me.
The last thing I saw was the hooded man standing over me, his voice distant, amused.
"She's done."
Then, everything went black.