I barely felt the pain anymore, though the gash on my side throbbed with every step. Elara leaned on me heavily, her breathing ragged. We had escaped Augustus, barely, but at what cost? The forest had swallowed us whole, darkness wrapping around like a suffocating blanket, and now we stumbled through it, desperate to find refuge.
Finally, I saw it—the familiar outline of our old hideout. It wasn’t much, just a hollow nestled between two large rocks, camouflaged by creeping vines. But it was ours, for now. I pulled Elara along the last few steps and practically collapsed inside, letting the cool earth press against me.
“We’re here,” I whispered. “We made it.”
Elara nodded weakly, her lips pale. She sank to the ground beside me, wincing as she moved. Her arm was still bleeding, the cut de
