bCHAPTER /bb141 /b

    Jed nced at the map onest time, his eyes scanning the boundary lines with a final flick of focus. Then he pushed back from the table, the legs scraping softly against the stone floor. “I’ll leave you two to it,” he said, voice low but steady. “Let me know if anything shifts.”

    Saphira gave him a nod, watching as he exited the room. The door clicked shut behind him, and the silence that followed settled like a weighted nket–heavier, more intimate. The kind that didn’t need words to

    be felt.

    Niks still had his arm loosely around her waist, his thumb brushing absently against her side. She turned slightly, studying his face–the tension in his jaw, the distant look in his eyes.

    “What are you thinking?” she asked, her voice quiet, almost hesitant.

    Niks exhaled, his gaze drifting back to the map. “I’m not sure,” he admitted. “We need a way to counter them if they arrive. But until the spell is up and triggered… it’s a waiting game.”

    Saphira frowned, her fingers trailing along the edge of the table. The parchment crinkled beneath her touch. iWaiting /iialways /iifeels /iilike /iilosing /iitime/i. iLike /iigiving /iithem /iispace /ito imove /iiwhile /iiwe /iihold /iiour /iibreath/i.

    “Do we have extra patrols in ce?” she asked, her tone sharpening slightly.

    Niks nodded. “Yes. I’ve doubled the coverage around the northern and eastern ridges. I’ve asked for regr updates–even if there’s nothing to report. I want eyes on everything.”

    Saphira nodded, her jaw tight. “That’s good. Smart.”

    She paused, her gaze dropping to the map again, but her thoughts were already drifting. The lines blurred, reced by the memory of Amara’s face–pale, trembling, brave. “I still can’t believe what the Silvermoon pack did to her,” she said, voice thickening. “If I’d known before we left Cassandra at the top of that waterfall…”

    Niks turned to her, his expression soft but firm. “Your emotions would’ve been clouded. You might’ve gone too far. We may not have made it back safe.”

    Saphira sighed, her shoulders sagging slightly. iHe’s /iiright/i. iI /iiknow /iihe’s /iiright/i. iBut /iiit /istill burns. “I know,” she said. “But it isn’t right.”

    Niks was quiet for a moment, then his voice came low, thoughtful. “My mother had books. Old ones. On unnatural magic. She kept them hidden, but I know where they are. I’ll dig them out. See if there’s anything in them that can help.”

    Saphira’s eyes lifted, a flicker of hope breaking through the storm inside her. “Do you really think there could be something in them?”

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    Niks nodded. “They’re ancient. Likely simr to what the elders would’ve used. If there’s a way to undo what was done… it might be in there.b” /b

    Saphira reached for his hand, squeezing it gently. “Thank you,” she whispered, then leaned in and kissed him–soft, grateful, lingering. His hand slid up to cradle her cheek, and for a moment, the world narrowed to just them.

    Then a knock broke the quiet.

    Niks straightened, releasing her hand as the door creaked open. Asher stepped in first, his expression alert. Zafira followed, her gaze sharp and unreadable. Anastasia camest, her eyes sweeping the room with quiet concern.

    Saphira stepped back, her spine straightening.

    The door opened fully, and Asher stepped in with Zafira close behind, their hands already linked. His

    alert thumb brushed gently over her knuckles, a quiet reassurance. Zafira’s gaze flicked around the room, but softer than usual. Anastasia followed, her eyes sweeping the space with quiet precisionb, /btaking in every detail–every expression, every shift in posture. She didn’t miss much. She never did.

    Saphira stepped forward, her smile warm and genuine. “Good to see you,” she said, her voice lifting just enough to ease the tension in the room. “How are you feeling now that Asher’s back?”

    Zafira’s grip on Asher’s hand visibly tightened, her fingers curling around his like she was anchoring herself to the moment. “More rxed,” she admitted, her voice soft but steady. “For now. But I’m not sure I’ll ever let him leave my side again.”

    Saphira let out a gentleugh, the sound light and real. “Fair. I wouldn’t either.”

    Anastasia chuckled as she lowered herself into a chair, her movements graceful despite the weariness in her eyes. “Young love,” she said with a fond smile. “It’s fierce. And stubborn. And sometimes smarter than the rest of us.”

    Niks stepped forward, his tone shifting as the moment turned. “What can I do for you?”

    Anastasia leaned in slightly, her elbows resting on the table. “We wanted to discuss the n. If Silvermoonesb./b”

    Niks nodded and gestured to the chairs around the table. “Sit. Let’s go over it.”

    They settled in, the scrape of chairs against stone echoing briefly. Saphira took her usual seat beside Niks, her fingers brushing the edge of the map as he began.

    “Raven and the witches have started the boundary spell,” he said. “It’syered to alert us if breached. We’ve expanded it to cover the northern and eastern ridges–anywhere they might try to slip through. Patrols have been doubled. Updates areing in regrly.”

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    b4:54 /bbpm /bP PPD

    ppp

    Zafira nced toward Saphira, her brow furrowed. “Should Finn be here for this?b” /b

    Saphira shook her head gently, her voice quiet but firm. “I’ll speak to him soon.” iI /iidon’t /iiwant /ito iinterrupt /iihim /iand iAmara/ii. /iAnd I idon’t /iwant more people iknowing /iiyet/i–not iuntil /iiI /iiknow /iiwhat /ican ibe /iidone/i.

    Zafira gave her a look–not judgmental, but probing. Then she nodded and let it go. “Alright. So what happens if we get the signal? If they arrive?”

    Niks leaned forward, his fingers tapping the edge of the map. “We capture them. Put them in the cells. Then we dig. We need information–about the elders‘ n, about the matchmaker. Silvermoon’s the smallest piece in this, which makes them the perfect ce to start.”

    Asher frowned, his arms crossed. “What if they arrive with an elder?”

    Niks shook his head. “I doubt it. This will be personal for them. They’ll want control. But if they do… then we need everyone sharp. Ready to fight.”

    Anastasia’s arms folded across her chest, her expression hardening. “And how do we capture them? If they bring the witch again, it won’t be easy.”

    Niks nodded slowly. “We’ll need an unexpected advantage. Something they won’t seeing.”

    Saphira’s voice cut in, calm but firm. “We already have one.”

    She met his eyes and tapped her chest lightly. “Me.”

    Niks didn’t hesitate. “No.”

    The wordnded hard. Final. His tone left no room for negotiation.

    Saphira didn’t flinch, but her jaw tightened, her fingers curling slightly against the edge of the table. iHe’s /iiprotecting /iime/ii. /iiI /iiknow /iithat/ii. /iiBut /iI’m inot /iifragile/i. iAnd /iiI’m /iinot /iidone /iifighting/i. She held his gaze, the silence between them thick with everything unsaid.

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