The wind howled across the barren plains, carrying with it an unnatural chill that gnawed at the group's resolve. The road leading out of Lyndara was littered with fragments of broken wagons and abandoned camps, ghostly reminders of those who had once tried to flee the Maw's creeping corruption. Kaelron held the map Elorin had left for them tightly in his hands, its edges frayed and smudged with ash.
The silence among the group was heavy. Elorin's sacrifice loomed large, a wound that hadn't yet begun to heal. But beyond that, another worry had crept into Kaelron's mind—Lys. She had left the safehouse earlier that day, heading out to gather supplies and meet with her contacts. When the attack came, she had been nowhere to be found.
