Rhea broke the silence. “Lila went to look for you after we escaped from the wardens, and till now we haven’t heard from her since.”

  The words struck Kael like a hammer blow. His breath caught, his chest heavy. He stared at Rhea, searching her face, hoping for some sign that she held more to the story—that there was a letter, a trace, anything. But Rhea’s eyes held only truth, and sorrow.

  Kael’s hand closed around the edge of the table before him. “She went alone?” His voice was low, almost harsh.

  Rhea nodded slowly. “We argued. I wanted her to stay with us, to move north where the land was safer. But she refused. She said she wouldn’t rest until she found you. The last I saw of her was at the edge of the old river road. She promised she would return.”

  Joran’s shoulders slumped as he exhaled hard, his arms folding across his chest. “Stubborn girl,” he muttered. “Always charging ahead with fire in her veins. Just like when we faced the wardens in the valley—she wouldn’t stay back even when I shouted at her to hold.”

  Tarin stepped forward, his sharp eyes fixed on Kael. “We searched when we could. Asked travelers, merchants, even mercenaries who passed through the border roads. But no one had seen her. It was as if the earth swallowed her up.”

  Kael’s chest tightened further. The chamber around him seemed to dim, the firelight pulling shadows across the walls. In his mind, he saw her as she had been—her quick smile, her fearless step, the way she always looked straight at him as if no storm, no enemy, could ever make her doubt. And now she was gone, not dead, not alive, but missing, drifting in silence.

  “She came for me,” Kael whispered, his voice shaking. “She risked herself to find me. And I wasn’t there.”

  Orin moved closer, laying a hand gently on Kael’s shoulder. “Kael, hear me. You cannot bear this weight as a fault. She chose this path. She has always chosen her own path. You know her heart. If anyone can survive out there, it’s Lila.”

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  Rhea lowered her head. “I want to believe that. Every day, I tell myself she’s still alive. But weeks have turned into months. The roads are dangerous, the wardens still hunt, and the slavers have spread farther. I don’t know how long she could…” Her voice faltered, breaking before she could finish.

  Kael looked around at them—his friends, his family of choice. They had returned to him, yet the circle was not whole. It felt like a chain missing its strongest link. He clenched his fists.

  “I should go after her,” he said.

  The room fell still again.

  “You can’t,” Tarin said firmly. “Not now. You’ve just gained the right to stand as lord. The people look to you. If you leave, you risk everything you’ve built. The lords already hate you. The elders barely hold them in check. If you vanish to chase shadows, they’ll strike while you’re gone.”

  Kael’s jaw tightened. “And if she’s out there, suffering because of me? Do I leave her to fate?”

  Joran stepped forward, his tone softer than usual. “Listen, lad. You’re not alone anymore. You don’t have to ride off with nothing but a hammer and guilt. We can search for her. We can send word, gather scouts, spread eyes across every ridge and valley. That’s how we’ll find her.”

  Kael met his gaze. The thought of sitting still while others searched tore at him, but Joran’s words carried truth. If he left now, he risked losing not only Lila but all the people who had placed their trust in him.

  “We’ll find her,” Orin said gently, as if sensing Kael’s struggle. “But you must be the root that holds this ground steady. Without you, the rest will crumble.”

  Rhea stepped closer, placing her hand over Kael’s. Her voice was firm but warm. “We’ll not give up on her. I’ll ride myself if I must. But you must hold your place here. It’s what she would want. She searched for you because she believed in what you could become. Don’t let that faith go to waste.”

  Kael drew a long breath, forcing the fire in his chest to steady. He looked at each of them, one by one. Their faces were worn from hardship, but their eyes held resolve. They had carried his burden when he could not. Now they stood ready to carry another.

  “You’re right,” Kael said at last, his voice low but steady. “I can’t abandon what’s been started. But we’ll not rest until we have word of her. Send riders to every border. Speak to the traders, the hunters, even the smugglers if you must. Spread her name across the ridges. If she lives, we will find her.”

  A murmur of agreement filled the chamber.

  Tarin gave a short nod. “I’ll draw maps of every known crossing. We’ll start with the river road, then the broken mines. If she traveled far, those are the paths she would have taken.”

  “I’ll gather men who know the wild trails,” Joran added. “Hunters and scouts, not soldiers. They’ll move faster, and they won’t draw attention.”

  “And I’ll keep hope alive ,” Orin said softly.

  Rhea’s hand tightened on Kael’s. “We’ll bring her back. One way or another.”

  Kael’s throat burned, but he forced himself to stand straight. “Then it begins now. For the ridges, for the people—but most of all, for Lila.”

  The chamber grew quiet again, but this time the silence was not heavy with loss. It was bound with resolve, like the calm before a storm. The firelight glowed brighter, casting long shadows behind them as if the ridges themselves leaned closer to listen.

  Yet deep in Kael’s chest, beneath the resolve, there remained an ache. A fear he could not voice. Lila had walked into darkness to find him. And now he wondered if the darkness had swallowed her whole.

  But until he knew, he would not stop.