'This is bad. I didn't expect Velra to actually stay put.'
The thought twisted in my head like a knife. I had planned everything—every possible route, every contingency—but Velra wasn't supposed to be this stubborn.
I ran a hand through my hair, my palms slick with sweat despite the freezing northern air.
'She's going to confront them head-on…'
That wasn't bravery. That was arrogance—pure, terrifying arrogance.
And it was about to get a lot of people killed.
The crystal I'd been using to communicate with her had already shattered into glittering dust, leaving me with no way to warn Alice or the Draken forces about Freedman—the parasite in disguise.
I gritted my teeth. The one person who could have turned the tide was now walking willingly into a trap.
And Velra… Velra was treating the entire situation like a game.
"Damn it," I muttered under my breath, watching from the ridge as Alice raised her sword against the crimson glow of Velra's mana storm.
