The clearing was too quiet. Not peaceful—never that—but the kind of silence that pressed down on the chest and made every breath feel stolen. Kael could hear his own heartbeat, heavy in his ears, and the faint rasp of Aaron's shallow breathing where he slumped against the roots of the oak.
Kael knelt beside him, brushing damp hair from Aaron's sweat-slick forehead. His fingers trembled with helplessness. "Stay with me, idiot," he whispered. "Don't you dare check out now."
Aaron stirred, lips twitching around syllables Kael couldn't recognize. A guttural sound, broken but deliberate.
Elena crouched opposite him, her dagger still in hand though her stance was wary, not aggressive. "That's not English. Not even close. And don't tell me it's gibberish—he's saying something. Something this forest understands."
