Chapter 42
The cabin creaked under the weight of silence. Outside, the forest groaned in the wind, the last arrows long since stopped. The smell of ash and tension hung heavy in the air. Valerie crept to the narrow window, squinting into the shifting shadows beyond the tree line.
"I think they've retreated," she whispered, still catching her breath. "We might have lost—"
Thwack.
The sound was sharp, unnatural.
Valerie froze.
Odi turned just in time to see her Valerie's body jolt. An arrow jutted from her chest, the black shaft quivering as if laughing in triumph.
"Valerie!" Odi screamed, scrambling to catch her as she collapsed.
Valerie's knees buckled. Her body crumpled into Odi's arms with a sickening weight, the warm gush of blood already soaking her tunic.
"No, no—oh gods—your highness!" Odi pressed trembling hands to the wound. "Stay with me, please!"
Valerie's lips parted in shock, eyes wide and glossy. "I… didn't see it. I didn't…"
