The woods swallowed them whole.
Branches snapped against Kitsune's arms as he pushed forward, Lafayette close behind, Calia darting ahead. Mist curled low over the ground, thicker the deeper they went, turning the world into a blur of damp green and shifting shapes.
"Keep her in sight," Lafayette said, low and sharp.
Kitsune didn't bother answering. He kept his eyes locked on the dark flicker ahead, a cloak slipping between the trees, always just out of reach.
Calia let out a sharp bark and veered left. Kitsune followed without thinking, geta skidding on the wet ground. His heart slammed against his ribs, not just from the running but from the feeling creeping up his spine.
She was not trying to lose them.
She was leading them.
The trees thinned all at once, the forest spilling into a clearing perched over the sea. Below, the cliffs dropped straight into crashing gray water. The storm was closer now, heavy in the air.
And there she was.
Standing right at the edge.
Marah Veil.
Her cloak whipped in the wind, dark against the pale mist. Her hair was loose in wild. When Kitsune stepped closer, pulling his wet cloak tighter around him, she didn't move. She didn't turn.
"You knew we'd come," he called out.
Her voice, when it came, was soft. Dry, like something worn thin.
"Of course. You're late."
Kitsune almost laughed. A clear look of .
There was no bite in her words. Just something tired.
"You could have kept running," Lafayette said as he came up beside Kitsune. His hand brushed the hilt of his sword out of habit.
Marah turned then, slowly, and for a second Kitsune felt like he was seeing a ghost. She looked older, but not in the way that counted in years. It was the weight she carried now. Lines around her mouth. A tightness in her eyes. Still, she stood straight. There was still steel inside her.
"I did run," she said. "And look where it got me."
Her gaze slid over them both. Two strangers soaked to the bone but still standing. Calia pressed against Kitsune's leg, ears low, eyes sharp.
"What do you want, Marah?" Kitsune asked, quieter now.
For a heartbeat, she just stared at him.
Then she reached into her cloak and pulled out a bundle wrapped in oilcloth.
She held it out.
Kitsune hesitated for only a second before stepping forward and taking it. It was lighter than he expected. He peeled back the cloth and found a book inside, old leather stamped with a seal he had not seen since the world went sideways.
The royal ledger.
A list of names. And debts.
Lafayette let out a breath. "You kept it."
Marah's mouth twisted into something that was not quite a smile.
"Of course I did. It is the only thing that still matters."
Kitsune flipped it open. Pages packed with names, places, and promises written in ink that had not faded.
"This is a death sentence," he said, almost to himself.
"For the wrong person," Marah said. The wind pulled her hair across her face, but she did not flinch. "And a reckoning for everyone else."
Thunder grumbled low over the sea.
"You could have kept running," Lafayette said as he came up beside Kitsune. His hand brushed the hilt of his sword out of habit.
Marah turned then, slowly, and for a second Kitsune felt like he was seeing a ghost. She looked older, but not in the way that counted in years. It was the weight she carried now. Lines around her mouth. A tightness in her eyes. Still, she stood straight. There was still steel inside her.
"I did run," she said. "And look where it got me."
Her gaze slid over them both. Two strangers soaked to the bone but still standing. Calia pressed against Kitsune's leg, ears low, eyes sharp.
"What do you want, Marah?" Kitsune asked, quieter now.
For a heartbeat, she just stared at him.
Then she reached into her cloak and pulled out a bundle wrapped in oilcloth.
She held it out.
Kitsune hesitated for only a second before stepping forward and taking it. It was lighter than he expected. He peeled back the cloth and found a book inside, old leather stamped with a seal he had not seen since the world went sideways.
The royal ledger.
A list of names. And debts.
Lafayette let out a breath. "You kept it."
Marah's mouth twisted into something that was not quite a smile.
"Of course I did. It is the only thing that still matters."
Kitsune flipped it open. Pages packed with names, places, and promises written in ink that had not faded.
"This is a death sentence," he said, almost to himself.
"For the wrong person," Marah said. The wind pulled her hair across her face, but she did not flinch. "And a reckoning for everyone else."
Thunder grumbled low over the sea.
"We need to move," Lafayette said, glancing back toward the trees. "They will come looking. For her. For that."
Marah stared at them, a soft smile appearing on her face."If you find Kadeen. Tell him I love him for me."
She turned and started walking without waiting.
Without a second thought, she stepped off the cliff, submerging herself into the water below.
Kitsune stayed for a moment longer. The ledger felt heavy in his hands.
He wasn't one to mourn deaths, but this was different. He chuckled, laughing it off and flipping his hair over his shoulders,
A list of debts.
A chance to truly find him.
He tucked the book under his cloak and left.
Calia stayed close to his side.
Lafayette walked just behind them, trying his best to ignore the current events.
The storm broke as they slipped back into the trees. Rain came down hard, washing away the trail behind them.