The foot Elijah had raised remained suspended for a moment before he slowly lowered it to the ground.He had not expected the question either.Without turning around, he answered, “It could be.”Elijah had given Iris his first name because there had been little reason to hide it from her. A name alone revealed very little, but the surname Langston now carried associations he had every reason to keep to himself until he understood where he stood and who could be trusted.Iris lifted her head from the ground and blinked at him. “Mister Elijah, that is your real name, isn’t it?”Brielle gave a disdainful snort. “Do you truly expect a pirate to give you his real name?”Before Iris could respond, Mother spoke from within the palanquin.“Brielle, what proof do you have that this young man is a pirate?”Brielle’s mouth opened, but nothing came out immediately. She turned towards the other junior sisters as th

The journey from the valley towards the farther side of Galecrest passed mostly in silence, especially for Elijah Langston, who remained at the head of the group.Despite the broken leg and his dependence on the wooden staff, he moved with a kind of stamina that none of the Zenith women had expected. His pace was not fast, but it remained steady, and he maintained a reasonable distance between himself and the rest of the group without once asking them to slow down for him.Iris followed closest behind, unusually quiet since they set out. The younger disciples came after her, while the five seniors held positions around the palanquin, with Rowan moving near the front where she could keep Elijah within sight.The junior sisters whispered among themselves from time to time, their voices lowering whenever they thought he might hear. Their eyes repeatedly wandered towards his back before returning to one another, making the subject of their conversation obvious even without the words rea

“What are you talking about?”Rowan looked strangely at Brielle and the other junior disciples, unable to understand why the sight of the coast had unsettled them so badly.Evelyn stepped forward from behind them. “They are right, Senior Sister. We have been here before.”Rowan turned towards her.“This is where we spent the night,” Evelyn continued. “We left this cave this morning and travelled through the forest to join you and the others as agreed.”One of the senior sisters beside Rowan knitted her brows and looked towards the cave mouth. “Isn’t this also where you said you found that man?”Evelyn nodded once.The confusion on Rowan’s face disappeared immediately. She turned towards the cave and found Iris still looking around the familiar coastline, clearly unable to understand what had happened.“Explain this.”“Huh?” Iris blinked and turned around, only then realising that every eye had settled u

“Sisters! Wait!”Iris’s voice echoed through the cave as she ran after the others, one hand holding the strap of the heavy pack against her shoulder.By the time the palanquin came into view, its four carriers were already passing through the opening at the far end of the cave.“Wait!”None of them turned.Iris hurried after them and emerged from the cave into the fading evening light, prepared to call out once more, only to notice that every woman of the Zenith Sisterhood had stopped several distances ahead.They were all staring in the same direction.Iris moved quickly around the palanquin and made her way towards Rowan at the front, but the moment she reached the eldest senior sister, her steps slowed to a stop.The forest before them was not the one they had turned away from earlier.There was no clear path leading between the trees, nor any sign of the open ground that had made the route appear so

The other senior sisters drew their weapons immediately. Evelyn moved towards the rear while Lexi and Sade took opposite positions, and the junior disciples joined them with their swords held ready.The four carriers lowered the palanquin carefully at the centre of the formation before crouching beside Iris. She shifted the heavy pack from one shoulder and looked uneasily towards the direction Rowan faced.“Hold the formation,” Rowan ordered. “It is getting closer.”No one else could see anything beyond the trees, but none of them questioned her warning. Rowan’s cultivation stood above theirs.The sisters strengthened their grips around their swords and watched the forest in silence.Only Noelle struggled to remain composed. She kept one hand over her nose, and every breath she took seemed to disturb her internal balance.The smell had grown unbearable.Rowan raised her sword. “Prepare to attack. Whatever it is, we will