{AURORA'S POV}
I couldn't sleep.
The hours between midnight and sunrise bled together in a haze of pain and memory, and not once did my eyes close. Every time I tried, I saw Mira's face again.
Now morning light spilled into the sanctuary, and I stood watching, arms crossed tightly, as the entire community seemed to flock around him.
Riven.
They laughed with him. Spoke to him like he'd always belonged. Some clapped him on the back as if he were one of us.
The sight stung me like a thorn in my side. My chest burned with anger and disdain, and every smile he gave them felt like a blade drawn across my skin.
I hated it. I hated him.
Suddenly, the sound of a horn rolled deep and haunting through the sanctuary, echoing off the treetops, shaking me from the storm inside my head.
The witches around me stilled, then began moving, everyone drifting toward the heart of Nevermoor. Toward the Great Tree.
"Aurora!"
I turned to see Eris hurrying over, her black hair bouncing as she grabbed my hand. "Come on. Let's go."
"Go where?" I asked, still unsettled.
"The horn." She tugged me forward. "It means Morganna has something important to tell us."
I nodded, letting her lead.
Ahead, I caught sight of Kai, who looked over and grinned. I lifted a hand to wave, and he jogged toward us, rolling up the sleeve of his shirt as he came.
"How's your arm?" I asked, my gaze dropping to the place where a sword had cut through him just yesterday.
To my shock, the gaping wound was gone, reduced to nothing more than a faint scar.
"Already healed?" I breathed.
Kai smirked, flexing as if to show off. "Perks of having healers around. Rare as gold but the most important among witchfolk."
Before I could comment, he curled his arm and gave an exaggerated flex. "See? Good as new."
"Malakai." Vivienne's voice cut in, sharp and amused as she stepped up behind him, her eyes glinting like polished sapphires. "In the name of heaven, please pull down your sleeves. No one wants to see those tiny lumps you call muscles. If you're not embarrassed, then I'm embarrassed for you."
Kai's smile faded instantly. "Viv, when will you ever stop being such a raging bitch?"
Vivienne gasped dramatically, placing a hand on her chest before smirking. "Never. You know I live to make your life miserable."
Eris snorted. I clapped a hand over my mouth to stifle my laugh, but it was no use. We both dissolved into giggles as Kai muttered something under his breath and stormed ahead.
By the time we reached the clearing, the sanctuary was filled with witches and warlocks, their voices rising and falling in uneasy murmurs but as soon as Morganna emerged, a heavy silence fell over the crowd like a blanket.
She wore a flowing white gown that caught the morning light, its hem carried by a group of young witches dressed in the same color. Her silver hair shimmered like starlight, her golden-green eyes sweeping across the crowd.
"Witches of Nevermoor," she greeted, her voice carrying with calm authority.
"News has reached me from the capital."
The clearing erupted with hushed voices. Fear spread like wildfire, voices tangling over one another.
"News from the capital?" Vivienne groaned beside me, tossing her head back. "Gods, why?"
"What happened?" I asked, completely clueless. "Why's that a bad thing?"
"Because news from the capital," Kai said tightly, his eyes locked forward, "is never good."
Morganna raised a hand. Instantly, silence fell again.
"Our sanctuary is in danger. The Commander of the Severance himself leads a cavalry of witch hunters into these woods. They march toward us even now."
The air was ripped apart by gasps and shouts.
"What do we do?" a young witch asked.
"We have to protect Nevermoor." another stated.
"Yes. We must stay and fight!"
The clearing boiled down into chaos.
My heart pounded as my eyes flicked across the crowd, only to land on Riven.
Almost as if he felt me staring, his head turned and our eyes locked for a heartbeat until I snapped my gaze away.
Then Morganna's voice cut through the uproar.
"We cannot stay!"
Her tone was sharp, commanding silence. "When the hunters reach us, their anti-magic will strip away the barrier shielding Nevermoor from the eyes of the outside world. We will be exposed."
She stepped forward, her robes flaring around her. "A cavalry is no small threat. One hundred, perhaps two hundred soldiers. Half of us here cannot fight, and the children stand no chance."
She swept her gaze across the crowd. "As your leader and sworn protector, I will not stand idle while my people are slaughtered like cattle. We are leaving this sanctuary behind. We have no choice."
"No!" a witch cried. "We can't leave Nevermoor. This is our home!"
Others chimed in, voices breaking with desperation.
Morganna lifted her hands to silence the crowd once more. "Nevermoor is not a place. Nevermoor is a people. As long as we have one another, the sanctuary lives. Not in roots and stone, but in us."
Her words rippled through the crowd, soothing them with their weight.
A warlock's voice rose. "But Morganna, where will we go?"
"I know of another sanctuary," Morganna said, her voice quieter now. "It is far—two, perhaps three days' travel. During that time, we'll be exposed and endangered. But it's our only chance."
"We leave before dawn," Morganna declared. "Pack only what you need. Tomorrow, this place will be behind us."
With that, she descended from the platform, her white gown whispering against the earth as she disappeared into the crowd.
A heavy silence lingered before Vivienne exhaled loudly and rolled her eyes. "Well, I guess it's time to pack up. Goodbye, Nevermoor." She dragged a finger under her eye, faking a tear. "I'll miss you."
Kai scoffed, already turning away.
Vivienne perked up suddenly, her lips curving with mischief. "Actually, I've got a better idea. Why don't we stay back and bundle Kai up instead? We'll throw him at the witch hunters as an offering."
Kai froze mid-step. "You're insufferable."
She smacked his ass and darted off before he could whirl around.
"Hey!" His voice cracked with outrage as he stormed after her.
Eris doubled over laughing. "Gods, I love watching her get under his skin."
"Tell me about it," I said, smiling despite myself.
Eris squeezed my hand, still grinning. "I'll see you soon." Then she vanished into the crowd, leaving me all by myself.
As soon as I turned around, I bumped straight into someone's chest.
I looked up, and my breath caught.
"Riven."