Chapter 56; Bait

MAERWYNN POV

The sun was sinking lower, casting the clearing in hues of gold and orange. I stood in the middle, my skin prickling with unease as shadows stretched across the ground. It wasn’t night yet, but the fading light made it feel like the whole world was holding its breath, waiting.

Valen and Rhaenan were somewhere behind me, hidden in the dense trees just beyond the clearing’s edge. I could feel their eyes on me, watching, waiting. My role was clear — stand here, alone, and draw out the Algoths. I hated it. My pulse thrummed in my ears, and my fingers clenched into fists, the air thick with tension.

A low breeze stirred, carrying with it the distant sound of screeches — faint, but unmistakable. They were close.

I shifted my weight, the grass cool beneath my boots, and focused on keeping my breathing steady. The fading sunlight felt heavy on my shoulders, like the last warmth before the storm. My heartbeat seemed to echo the rhythm of the forest, an unspoken countdown to what w