The camp was a storm of motion, soldiers strapping on armor, sharpening blades, and tightening saddles as the news of the missing children spread like wildfire. General Lyra moved with cold efficiency, her tall frame rigid as she cinched the leather straps of her own horse's bridle. The air buzzed with tension, each soldier's face marked with grim determination. The children were no longer just disobedient—every second they remained outside camp was another second of danger.
Selene came running across the clearing, her braid bouncing against her back, her chest heaving with urgency. "I want to come," she blurted out, voice trembling but unwavering.
Lyra's eyes narrowed as she turned toward her. "No," she said flatly, her tone like sharpened steel. "It's too dangerous."
Selene's hands fisted at her sides. "But what if the children are hurt? What if Rory—what if any of them—" her voice cracked before she steadied it, "I can help them. Please."
For a moment, Lyra only stared. She expected to see childish recklessness, but instead, she found something else—resolve. A quiet, selfless fire burned in Selene's eyes, the kind that couldn't be trained into a soldier but born into a healer. Lyra's jaw tightened, then softened just slightly.
Without a word, she extended her hand downward. Selene blinked in surprise before grasping it, and Lyra's grip was firm and certain as she hauled the girl up onto the saddle behind her. Selene's arms slipped around her waist, clinging tightly as the leather of Lyra's armor pressed rough but steady beneath her palms. In that moment, trust was forged between them.
Lyra's voice turned sharp as she addressed her soldiers. "We're splitting up. Spread wide and cover as much ground as possible. The children come first. If you find any sign of the bandits, send a signal." Her gaze fell to two mounted soldiers nearby. "Elise. Ava. With me."
The soldiers gave curt nods, and with that, Lyra spurred her horse forward. The beast leapt into a gallop, the earth pounding beneath its hooves. Elise and Ava followed close behind, the thunder of their mounts fading quickly into the forest. The rest of the camp was left in tense silence, watching their commander vanish into the trees.
It wasn't long before they stumbled across movement. A small, trembling figure emerged from the shadows between the trees, stumbling into the path with a cry. Lyra reined in her horse so sharply that Selene had to clutch her waist tighter to keep from slipping off.
The boy was Alex, one of the older children, his face streaked with tears and his chest heaving with panicked sobs. His clothes were ripped from running through the underbrush, and his hands shook as he stumbled closer.
"Where are the others?" Lyra's voice was a whip-crack, sharp and urgent.
"I—I don't know," Alex stammered between sobs. "We got separated. We just kept running." His voice cracked, his eyes darting frantically back into the woods. "But Rory… Rory went back. He tried to help Finn. The monster—he got Finn!" He pointed down the trail with a trembling finger.
Lyra's features hardened into carved stone. She wasted no breath. "Ava, get him back to camp," she ordered, her voice sharp with command. Ava immediately dismounted, taking Alex by the arm as he collapsed against her side, still sobbing.
Lyra's gaze flicked to Elise, then back to the path ahead. "With me."
Without hesitation, she spurred her horse again, the animal lunging forward into the brush. Selene held on tight, her cheek pressed to Lyra's back as branches whipped by and shadows flickered in the moonlight. Her heart pounded, dread and determination crashing together in her chest.