Chapter 159

Aisha POV The silence after the prisoner’s death was louder than any scream. His body lay slumped against the roots, mouth frothing, eyes glazed in a grotesque stillness. The faint trace of burned flesh lingered in the air, poison or rune, something designed to snuff him out before he could speak. I couldn’t look away. My stomach turned as the reality settled like stone in my chest. Whoever commanded him had anticipated capture. They were prepared to silence their pawns at any cost. Simon crouched near the corpse, expression carved from stone. His fingers brushed the prisoner’s jaw, searching for the source. “Poison tooth,” he muttered, voice grimly calm. “Triggered remotely, or a rune seal. Either way, he was never going to tell us what we needed.” That tone, Measured, Detached. A commander dissecting a problem instead of grieving about a life snuffed out. “Is that all you see?” My voice cracked sharper than I intended, but I couldn’t stop it. “Another piece on the board, another tact