[Lavinia's POV—Uphill Pursuit—Sunset Bleeding Into War]
The world narrowed into one thing.
One name.
Kaelren.
The sky bled red as the sun dipped behind the jagged hill, shadows stretching like claws across the ruined battlefield. My horse tore through the mud, hooves slamming into the earth with the force of a war drum.
Every breath tasted like iron. Every heartbeat hammered like a blade against bone. We rode toward the uphill—toward the last rat cornered in his own collapsing kingdom.
"Princess—!" Arwin yelled behind me, barely keeping up.
"Stay close!" I commanded without turning.
My shoulder burned—bleeding freely, soaking into the reins—but I didn't care. Pain was a whisper compared to the roaring fire inside my veins. The hill loomed ahead, sharp and steep, the rocks stained with the blood of fleeing soldiers. The air was thick with smoke, dust, and the scent of fear.
I could smell it.
His fear.
