Chapter 63 Silent Footsteps

• The house was warm compared to the storm outside, yet the air felt brittle with silence. Snow still clung to their boots, melting into dark patches on the floor as Lucy guided the children further in. They hesitated with every step, their small hands still locked together like a lifeline neither would loosen.
• The fox slipped past them without pause, shaking its coat before settling in the corner of the room. Its pale fur caught the glow of the lamplight, but it closed its eyes as though the battle had never happened. The younger girl startled when its tail flicked, but the older one steadied her, fingers tightening.
• Lucy gestured toward the couch. “Sit,” she told Daren. He obeyed, wincing as the motion tugged at the wound across his shoulder. Blood had soaked deep into the fabric, the scent of iron mingling with the faint herbal smoke still clinging to Lucy’s gloves.