The night erupted into chaos. Kaela dropped to her knees beside the fallen figure, her hands trembling as she tried to stem the bleeding. The flickering campfire cast eerie shadows across their pale, twisted face.
"We've been betrayed," she whispered, voice barely steady. "They knew our plans."
Ava's eyes burned with fury as she scanned the crowd. "Someone here is working with the Ashen. Someone we trusted."
Murmurs rose like a storm, suspicion slicing through the air like a sharpened blade.
Kaela's mind raced—who could it be? The calm strategist, the loyal scout, the quiet medic?
Every glance was a potential accusation, every step a threat.
She stood, voice rising over the growing tension. "We will find the traitor. And we will make them pay."
But even as she vowed justice, a cold knot settled in her stomach.
Betrayal cut deepest when it came from within.