Ezra couldn't remember when he started running.
He only knew that he was.
Branches scraped against him, something caught on his arm, his boots hit the ground too hard, too fast, but none of it mattered.
He heard something ahead, a sound that didn't belong in the quiet of the forest, something sharp and wrong, and then—
He saw it.
His baby.
His pride and his joy.
Lior.
Lifted off the ground.
Choking.
Something in Ezra snapped.
There was no thought. No pause. No second to think about anything else.
He moved fast.
The fastest he has ever moved in his life.
The world blurred for a second, and then his sword was already in his hand, already driving forward—
Straight through Ricardo.
The blade went clean through his body, the force of it stopping just before it could reach Lior.
Ezra made sure of that.
He always made sure.
Ricardo's grip broke instantly.
Lior dropped.
Ezra didn't look at him yet. He couldn't.
