bCHAPTER /bb32 /b

bSaphira /bventured back into the woods, this time prepared for whatevery ahead. A torch in one hand, weapons secured at her waist, and “small, p? bfood /bstrapped to her back—she was determined not to return empty–handed. This wasn’t just about searching anymore. It was about bfinding /bsome ti banything/b–that could bring her closer to Niks.

The night air was crisp, the towering trees casting long shadows as she moved carefully through the undergrowth. The only sounds were the soft bcrunch /bof leaves beneath her boots and the distant hum of nocturnal creatures awakening in the darkness.

Her mind raced bas /bshe walked, dissecting every possibility, every clue.

The Matchmaker.

She kepting back to them, to their influence, their insidious control over supernatural fates. The more she thought about itb, /bthe more beverything /bseemed to fit.

They had forced Niks into a choice the day they left. Had backed him into a corner where the oue was inevitable. But the path he had chosen–bthe /bone that led him away with her–it had weakened him in their beyes/b. They had known that.

This wasn’t just a random disappearanceb. /b

It was à calcted move.

Her grip tightened around the torch as frustration welled in her chestb. /bThey had underestimated him. Underestimated her. And now, she would prove them

wrongb. /b

She pressed forward, determined. Because somewhere in the darkness, Niks had left her ba /bbtrail /bto follow.

bAnd /bshe would find it.

It didn’t take Saphira long to find the spot she and Raven had visited earlier–the ce where the rift had first appeared. The forest was eerily quiet, the darkness stretching around her, broken only by the faint glow of her torch. But this time, something was different.

A trail.

It veered slightly to the left, separate from the main path, like it had been deliberately hidden. Her breath slowed as she stepped closer, studying the ground. Drag marks. But not ordinary onesb. /bThe patterns weren’t rough or scattered like a struggle had taken ceb–/binstead, they looked… intentional.

Magical.

Saphira’s pulse quickened as she crouched, examining them further. The edges shimmered faintly under the beam of her torch, an unnatural quality to the way the earth had been disturbed. This wasn’t the result of careless movement or an untracked passage–someone had left this on purposeb. /b

Her fingers hovered over the marks, hesitating.

Niks.

Had he done this? Left something behind in a way only those attuned to magic could recognizeb? /bThe possibility struck deepb, /btwisting through her with

urgency.

Either way–she bwas /bgoing to follow it.

there

Saphira followed the trail for what felt like hours/each step pressing her deeper into the unknown. The eerie quiet bof /bthe forest bsettled /bover her blike /bba /bbheavy /bnket, broken only by the rhythmic crunch of leaves beneath her boots. The faint shimmer of the drag marks guided her bforward/bb, /bbbut /bbbeyond /bwas nothing–no sign of movement, no trace of Niks.

And that terrified her.

bHer /bmind spun through every possible scenario, each one darker than thest. Would bshe /bbbe /bambushed? Without bpowers/b, without the bnatural /bbstrength /bbthat /bevery supernatural around her bpossessed/bb, /bshe was vulnerable. Easy prey ifor /iwhatever had taken him. bIf /bbshe /bran into bdanger/bb, /bcould bshe /bbeven /bbfight/bb? /b

bThen /bcame bthe /bbthought /bbshe /bhad bbeen /bavoiding bthe /bone that sat like ice bin /bher bchest/bb. /b

bWhat /bif bNiks /bwas already deadb? /b

:

bShe /binhaled sharply, trying to push it down, but it wed its way into her thoughts. What if she was chasing ghosts? bWhat /bIf she had missed s save him?

Or worse–what if he was alive, but trapped? Tortured. And she had no way of reaching him in time.

The uncertainty made her stomach twist. She hated this–the helplessness, the doubt. She had spent her life on the edges of supernatural bsociety/b, watching from the sidelines, but this–this was her moment. And she refused to fail.

Still, the question lingered at the edges of her mind, refusing to leave.,

bWhy /bhad he been taken?

Nothing about Niks‘ disappearance felt random. He was strong, careful, calcted. Whatever had happened to him–it had been nned. It bhad /bbbeen /bintentional.

And that meant whoever had orchestrated this wasn’t just looking bto /bremove a threatb. /b

They were making a statement.

Saphira swallowed hard, her grip tightening around the hilt of the bsmall /bde at bher /bwaist. She didn’t know what she would find at the bend /bbof /bbthis /btrail.

But whatever it wasb, /bshe had to be ready.

Saphira pressed–forward, the worn trail guiding her deeper into the forest, her pulse steady but alert. She had no bidea /bwhat bshe /bwas bexpecting /bto findb, /bbonly /bthat every step brought with it a strange pull, an instinct whispering that she bwas /bgetting bcloser/b.

Then, as the trees parted, she saw it.

An ancient ruin loomed ahead, its crumbling walls barely standing against time’s relentless erosion. The remains bof /bba /bcastleb–/bbvast/bb, /btowering even bin /bits decayb. /bStone pirs stretched toward the sky, jagged bedges /bsoftened only by ivy clinging to them like desperate hands.

bA /bcold shiver ran down her spine. This bwas /bthe ce.

She didn’t know how she knew. She just did.

Her grip tightened on her weapons bas /bshe moved cautiously, scanning the structure for an entry point. An opening–high above. She would have to bclimb/bb. /b

With slow, deliberate movements, she hoisted herself upward, carefully scaling the weathered stone. She paused every few feet, listeningb–/bwatching bfor /bbany /bsign of movement. bEvery /brustling leafb, /bevery distant sound had her on edge. Whatever was hereb–/bwhatever had brought her to this bce/bb–/bit demanded caution.

bAs /bshe reached the top, she pulled herself over the edge, steadying herself before looking up.

Her breath hitched.

A massive clearing stretched before her, framed by five towering pirs arranged in a semi–circle, standing like silent sentinels. But it bwasn’t /bbthe /bbpirs /bthat I made her stomach turn.

It was whaty between them.

Saphira stepped forward, heart hammering against her ribs. And thenb–/bbshe /bbgasped/b.

Bonesb. /b

The skeletal remains of five dragonsb, /bbsprawled /bacross the stone, their bmassive /bforms still bound bin /bbheavy /bchains. bThe /bbiron /bblinks /bbcurled /bbtightly /bbaround /btheir remains, rusted but unbrokenb–/bas if btime /bitself had been unable to bfree /bthem.

Still trapped.

A deep, sinking feeling clenched at her chest. Who had done this? Why were they left here, bound even in deathy?

Her mind raced with possibilities, but none of them led to anything good,

Whatever this ce was whoever had imprisoned them–it was connected to Niks.

And she had just stepped into something far bigger than she had anticipated.

bChapter /bbComments /b

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