Chapter 20: Village Below the Mist VIII
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When she finally stepped out from the trees and into the clearing, Sera was the first to spot her. The priestess raised a hand, her voice light with surprise.
"Elara."
John looked up from the stone markers he was drawing into the dirt. The wind carried her name like a leaf tumbling through still air. His gaze met hers.
The woman who emerged from the mist was unlike the others in the village. Her steps were soundless. Her eyes are sharp. Her presence, unsettling in its quiet strength.
She kept her face still, posture relaxed, as if she were a mere passerby.
"I was passing through," she said, her tone measured. "Saw the smoke. I thought it might be a fire or something."
John didn’t speak immediately. He studied her. The way her hand never strayed far from the hilt tucked against her hip. The subtle weight in her voice. And yet, he couldn’t place her.
Sera stood, brushing her skirt and stepping slightly forward.
"Elara, this is John."
"I know who he is," Elara said without hesitation.
John tilted his head. Her voice held no malice. But no warmth either.