Chapter 49: Redemption's Call.

Chloe looked long into the fire, where the warm light of the crackling campfire danced over her face. These quiet times alone were a precious reprieve from all the violence and mistrust that were shredding the town. Heavy sigh, bringing knees closer and hugging them. When had she last really stopped to breathe? When had she last let her soul's rage ebb for even a moment? Too long, she realized with a pang. Far too long had she known the woman staring back at her from the fire's embers. This hardened, haunted stranger seemed almost unrecognizable to the bright-eyed idealist who began this path years ago. Is that what she has become? A figure haunted by sins she could never absolve? The thought made her shudder, new tendrils of despair coiling around her heart. "Burning that candle again, I see." Chloe jumped at the sounds of Liam's gruff rumble. She glanced up to see him emerging from the shadows, his face completely unreadable. Her throat tightened upon seeing him. The maddening,