The camp was tense.
The two hours that had passed since Alterain had disappeared into the swamp felt like days. The knights were silent, their usual camaraderie replaced by a thick blanket of unease.
Yves, however, was anything but quiet. He paced in front of his tent, his brow furrowed with worry. His heart raced, every muscle in his body screaming at him to go after Alterain.
"He should have been back by now," Yves muttered, his frustration bubbling over. His eyes darted toward the tree line where Alterain had vanished.
Garrick watched Yves from the other side of the camp, arms crossed over his chest. The knight had always been patient, but Yves' anxiety was infectious.
It wasn't just the knight commander's safety that worried him; it was the fact that Yves, the fourth prince, seemed willing to throw himself into danger, regardless of Alterain's earlier orders to retreat.
