ALDRIC
She moved fast.
Faster than I expected, fast enough that for a fraction of a second I simply watched her go, registering the sudden shift from defiance to raw instinct.
Her feet struck the ground hard and unevenly, her breath already breaking apart into sharp, panicked bursts as she ran, no longer looking back, no longer pretending she had any control over this.
Then she screamed.
The sound tore through the night, high and piercing, carrying far beyond the clearing, a desperate call that might have meant something if we were anywhere else.
But we were not.
I bent without thinking, my hand closing around the first thing it found. A stone, small enough to grip, rough against my palm, heavy enough to matter.
I did not hesitate.
I threw it.
It cut cleanly through the air and struck the back of her head with a dull, sickening thud.
Her scream snapped off mid-sound.
