Elyria leapt from behind Severin and drove her fist straight into the broad face of the man standing before him.
The impact cracked through the air with a sickening thud. Bone met knuckle, and the sound echoed like a snapped branch in a silent forest. The man staggered back, his head jerking to the side as blood sprayed from his mouth. Two teeth hit the ground and rolled into the dust.
For a heartbeat, the world seemed to pause.
The other three men froze, eyes wide, shock rippling through them as they watched their leader reel. None of them had expected the attack, least of all from a woman they had once chased like prey through narrow alleys.
