Chapter 43

• Gianna's POV
• After the night of the fire, everything shifted. A fence now wrapped around the camp, restricting squads to only a few in the fields at a time. Each time they were deployed, I braced myself, knowing another village in Harem Valley was about to be ravaged. Innocents were perishing while I stayed confined in the camp under Stefano's orders, alongside my *beloved* companion, Davide.
• To stave off the madness of sitting in the tent, I often wandered to the stream. Watching the water flow, even if it didn't quiet my anxieties, at least calmed my mind. Thoughts of the spirits' words haunted me, though. They'd told me that my death would restore balance as if my life was merely a bridge to some greater course. The thought tightened in my throat each time it crossed my mind. I felt as if I existed solely to die at some destined moment. I took a jagged breath, letting my fingers slip into the icy stream.