The lanterns of the city flickered against the darkening sky, painting every street with golden light. The market had not yet emptied; merchants shouted their prices, children ran between stalls, and the smell of roasted spices and sweet bread lingered in the air.
Naisha led the way, her cloak pulled tightly around her shoulders. Every sense she had honed over the years told her that something was off.
Arin followed closely, carrying a small bundle over his shoulder. His eyes darted nervously at every passerby.
Meira walked beside him, her dark eyes wide with wonder. Every sight fascinated her—the street performers, the weapon stalls, even the faint echo of music from a nearby tavern.
"So this is the city Father warned us about," she whispered, stepping carefully over a loose cobblestone.
Arin snorted. "I expected something scarier."
Meira laughed softly. "You've seen the forest all your life, yet you act like you know everything."
Naisha kept walking silently, her gaze sweeping the crowd. Her instincts tightened like a drawn bow. Something was not right.
She noticed it first—the boots. Several pairs moved through the crowd too deliberately, too in sync. Then the hands—subtle gestures, signals hidden in casual movements. These were not ordinary townsfolk.
Meira paused, holding the small carved stone her father had given her. The silver lines faintly glowed, vibrating softly against her palm. A distant voice whispered through her mind.
"Leave the city. Now."
Naisha's jaw tightened. Danger was close, closer than they realized.
Across a narrow alley, a masked figure leaned against a wall, watching. His eyes flickered beneath the mask, locking onto something in the crowd. Another shadow moved silently beside him.
"They survived the fire," a low, cold voice said. "The serpent blood… the girl and the boy."
Naisha's heart beat faster. The hunter's eyes shone as he spotted her silver gaze flicking toward the street. A subtle signal passed to the others hidden among the crowd.
Meira glanced at Naisha. "What is it?" she asked, sensing her urgency.
Naisha didn't answer. She began weaving through the crowd, keeping Arin close and Meira just behind him. Every step was careful, measured, as the shadows of the hunters grew nearer.
The market's noise faded for a moment, replaced by a quiet tension that pressed against their chests. The hunters were patient. Silent. Waiting for the right moment.
From across the street, one of the masked figures leaned close to another and whispered:
"Do not lose them."
Naisha felt a shiver run down her spine, not from fear, but from recognition of the threat. She had survived worse than soldiers before, but the precision of these hunters was different. They wanted her. Alive.
Arin tugged at her sleeve. "Sister… what do we do?"
Naisha's silver eyes met his, fierce and determined. "We move. Now."
As they slipped through the winding streets, the lights of the city reflecting off cobblestones, the hunters followed silently, shadows within shadows. Somewhere in the crowd, the first part of the hunt had begun.
And Naisha knew one thing clearly: the chase had only just started.