Chapter 154

Aisha POV Dawn came slow, gray light creeping across the stone floor like it knew better than to rush into this day. I had been awake for hours, every creak of the walls and shift of the wind threading through my nerves. The feather still sat in my mind like a splinter, small, but impossible to ignore. Simon moved with the kind of precision that came from long habit, silent as he packed only what we could carry without slowing pace. No banners. No guard escort. The fewer eyes, the cleaner the misdirection. Charlie arrived just before sunrise. His expression told me everything before he spoke restless energy coiled beneath the surface, the same edge I felt. “Council’s been told you are heading north for alliance talks,” he said. “Nobody questioned it. At least not to me.” I studied him a moment longer than necessary. “And off the record?” His jaw tightened. “Off the record, two of them avoided looking me in the eye when I mentioned your name. I will keep digging.” Simon didn’t look up f