Chapter 76 - Smoke and Shadows

The horses approached like thunder in slow motion. Hooves struck stone with a heavy rhythm, stirring dust and apprehension as they passed. Khisa rode at the front, his eyes unreadable beneath the hood, the Shadow Guard flanking him like a living wall of silent death.

They followed Tesfaye through the winding streets of Shewa, where the air stank of sweat and suspicion.

Children peered from behind cracked doors. Market traders fell silent. Soldiers gripped their spears a little tighter.

"Who are they?"

"Spies?"

"Assassins from Adal?"

"There are women among them. How can they be warriors?"

Fear moved faster than flames in a dry season. Villagers from the border had already begun trickling into Shewa, their clothes torn, their eyes wild. The sight of these strangers—too calm, too disciplined—only fed the fear.