Whispers of danger

The morning light streamed through the windows, but the warmth it brought did little to ease the chill settling in Jasmine's bones. The weight of the truth Caden had shared the night before clung to her like a heavy shroud. She could still hear his voice, the quiet way he had spoken of the letter, of the message that could change the course of the war. It was a secret far bigger than she had ever imagined, one that now tied their fates together.

Jasmine paced the small kitchen, her thoughts a whirlwind of fear and uncertainty. What were they supposed to do now? Keeping Caden's secret meant keeping themselves in danger. If anyone found out they were harboring him—and more importantly, that letter—they would be branded as traitors to the crown. Her father had always told her that in times of war, loyalty was a slippery thing. But now, that truth had come home to roost in a way neither of them could have predicted.

She glanced at Caden, who sat quietly by the hearth, his eyes fixed on the fire but his mind clearly far away. He looked different now—tired, worn down by the burden of the secret he had been carrying for so long. The sharpness she had seen in him when he first arrived had dulled, replaced by a heavy resignation.

"Are you sure no one followed you?" Jasmine asked, her voice tight with worry.

Caden looked up at her, his expression unreadable. "I'm sure. I was careful."

"But what if they find out?" she pressed. "What if someone already knows you're here?"

Caden's jaw clenched, and he shifted uncomfortably in his seat. "If they knew, we wouldn't be having this conversation. But that doesn't mean we're safe. Not for long."

The room fell into silence again, the only sound the crackling of the fire in the hearth. Jasmine couldn't shake the feeling that danger was creeping closer, like the rising of a distant storm. It wasn't just the letter or the war that worried her—it was the sense that something unseen was moving in the shadows, watching, waiting.

Nathan entered the room, his expression hard as ever, but there was something in his eyes that told Jasmine he had been thinking about Caden's presence more than he let on. He gave Caden a curt nod, then turned to Jasmine, his voice low and gruff.

"I checked the fields," Nathan said. "No damage from the storm, but we'll need to keep an eye out. This land won't last if we keep getting rain like that."

Jasmine nodded, though her mind was still far from the crops and the farm. She could feel the tension between her father and Caden growing with each passing moment. Nathan didn't trust him, not fully, and now that Jasmine knew the truth, she understood why. The weight of the secret they were keeping could destroy everything they had built here.

"We can't keep him here much longer," Nathan said, his voice cutting through the tension. He glanced at Caden, his gaze sharp. "Not with what he's carrying."

Caden met his gaze, unflinching. "I understand," he said quietly. "I never intended to stay."

Jasmine's heart sank. She didn't want Caden to leave, not now. Not when they had only just begun to uncover the truth. But she knew her father was right. Keeping him here would put them all in danger, and the longer he stayed, the more likely it was that someone would come looking for him.

As if sensing her thoughts, Nathan turned to Jasmine, his expression softening slightly. "We'll give him shelter for a few more days," he said. "But after that, he has to go. It's too risky."

Jasmine nodded, though her stomach twisted with unease. She wanted to argue, to tell her father that they couldn't just send Caden out into the unknown, but she knew it was pointless. Nathan had always been a man of practicality, and in times like these, survival was the only thing that mattered.

As the day wore on, the air around the farmhouse grew heavier, thick with unspoken fears and whispered dangers. Jasmine spent most of the day outside, trying to busy herself with chores, but her mind kept drifting back to Caden. Every time she glanced at the distant horizon, she half-expected to see soldiers riding over the hill, their swords gleaming in the sunlight. The tension of waiting, of not knowing when the danger would arrive, gnawed at her insides.

In the early afternoon, as Jasmine was gathering firewood by the edge of the forest, she heard something—a faint sound, almost like a whisper carried on the wind. She froze, her heart racing as she listened. At first, she thought it was just the rustling of the trees, but then she heard it again—closer this time.

Voices.

She dropped the firewood and crept toward the trees, her footsteps silent on the damp ground. Her heart pounded in her chest as she strained to hear, every nerve in her body on edge. The voices were low, barely audible, but they were there—men, speaking in hushed tones.

She moved closer, her breath shallow as she crouched behind a thick tree. Through the gaps in the branches, she saw them—two men on horseback, their figures half-hidden by the trees. They wore the uniforms of soldiers, their swords gleaming in the slivers of sunlight that broke through the canopy.

Jasmine's stomach dropped. Soldiers. Here.

She stayed frozen in place, her heart thundering in her chest as she listened to their conversation. Their voices were muffled, but she caught enough to piece together what they were saying.

"… looking for someone. Deserter… last seen heading this way…"

Jasmine's blood turned to ice. They were looking for Caden.

She turned and ran, her feet pounding against the ground as she raced back toward the farmhouse. Her mind raced even faster. The danger was closer than she had thought—closer than any of them had realized. The soldiers had come, and it was only a matter of time before they found what they were looking for.

When she burst through the door, breathless and pale, both Nathan and Caden looked up, alarm flashing in their eyes.

"They're here," she gasped, her voice trembling with fear. "Soldiers. They're looking for you."

Caden stood up immediately, his face grim. Nathan cursed under his breath, his expression hardening as the reality of the situation hit him.

"We need to move," Caden said, his voice low and urgent. "Now."

Jasmine's heart raced as the weight of what was happening crashed down on her. There was no more time for secrets, no more time for hesitation. Danger was at their doorstep, and it was about to tear their world apart.

As the whispers of danger became a reality, Jasmine knew that nothing would ever be the same again.