**Chapter 122: Ash Before Dawn**
Lila found me later in the armory while I sharpened my favorite blade. She carried a small bundle wrapped in cloth. "I made this for you." Inside lay a braided cord of leather and wolf hair, simple but sturdy. "For luck. So you don't get hurt again."
I tied it around my wrist immediately. The weight felt right. "Thank you. This will keep me steady."
She watched me work the whetstone a moment longer, then asked the question I had been dreading. "If she gets inside… do we run or fight?"
"We fight smart," I told her. "You take your brother and sister to the deepest room like we practiced. You bar the door. You wait for us. But you stay alive. That's the only order that matters."
