Chapter 104

Tyler. As I neared the city border, the tension in my muscles coiled tighter with every mile I put between myself and the center of town. The asphalt stretched out before me, a dark ribbon leading to the flickering glow of lights in the distance. Those lights held the answers I desperately sought—the guards returning from their search for Arya. I tried to calm my racing thoughts, to push aside the gnawing fear that clawed at the edges of my mind. Arya was strong, capable. She could take care of herself. But the longer she remained missing, the harder it became to believe those reassurances. I scanned the group of guards gathered at the border, searching for any sign of Arya. My heart pounded in my chest, each beat a drumming reminder of what was at stake. Please let her be okay, I silently pleaded with whatever higher power might be listening. But as my gaze swept over the somber faces of the warriors, hope began to slip through my fingers like sand. Their downcast eyes told a stor