It had been a quiet afternoon in the woods, the sun filtering through the canopy as Ella moved silently among her father’s lands. Bristle padded at her side, ears twitching, when a rustle ahead caught her attention. She stilled, slipping an arrow to her bowstring and drawing it back smoothly.

A figure stepped into view where no villager or kin should be.

Her voice rang sharp across the clearing. “You’ve no business here. Speak quick—what are you doing on my father’s land?”