Chapter 5 Bloodlines And Betrayals

• The pale light of dawn barely filtered through the cracked windows, casting weak streaks of gold across the battered living room. The air smelled faintly of damp wood and smoke from the dying fire. Ivy sat cross-legged on the floor, her muscles aching and her mind swirling with a storm of confusion and fear. The adrenaline that had carried her through the night was ebbing away, replaced by a gnawing exhaustion that made her eyelids heavy.
• Kael sat nearby, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed. His amber eyes, usually sharp and alert, now looked distant, weighed down by a thousand unspoken thoughts. The silence between them was thick, neither willing to break it, both knowing the world had shifted irreversibly.
• Finally, Kael broke the quiet. “You did well,” he said softly, his voice low and steady. “Better than I expected.”