Elara volunteered first.
---
"I'll draw them out."
---
Liora's head snapped toward her.
"No."
---
Elara smiled.
---
"You don't get to decide that."
---
Tension.
Sharp.
Immediate.
---
Kael watched.
Silent.
---
Because this mattered.
---
Not just tactically.
---
Structurally.
---
"You're the most unpredictable piece we have," Elara said.
"They won't resist you."
---
Liora stepped forward.
---
"And if you're wrong?"
---
Elara met her gaze.
---
"Then I die."
---
No hesitation.
---
No drama.
---
Truth.
---
Silence.
---
Kael spoke.
---
"Do it."
---
Liora turned to him.
---
"You trust her?"
---
A pause.
---
"Yes."
---
That—
hit harder than anything else.
---
Elara smiled.
Soft.
Satisfied.
---
Liora didn't.
---
But she stepped back.
---
Decision made.
---
That night—
Elara walked alone.
---
Visible.
---
Unprotected.
---
A perfect target.
---
Minutes passed.
---
Nothing.
---
Then—
the air shifted.
---
Again.
---
This time—
closer.
---
Elara didn't move.
---
"Found you," she whispered.
---
And smiled.
---
Because she had never been prey.
---
Only—
bait.