Raven in the Sky [Part 1]

The three of them sat in a loose circle on the forest floor, shrouded in darkness.

They couldn't risk a fire—not this close to the Iron Hearts' fortress.

Cold snake meat and sparse supplies from the sponsors would have to suffice. Nerves were high, though neither Roof nor Delilah seemed willing to acknowledge it.

Only Marcus, as usual, ate in silence, his gaze fixed on the dirt.

"It's been a while, Roof. Are you sure they know?" Delilah asked, her voice quiet but edged with doubt.

She bit into a strip of snake meat, careful to chew on the unscarred side of her mouth. The burn still hurt when she ate too quickly.

"Don't worry," Roof replied, leaning back casually against a tree, his confidence unshaken. "The cult slaves were trained by me personally. I made sure they followed the plan."

Delilah frowned, glancing at the towering walls of the Iron Hearts' camp barely visible in the distance.