Chapter 81- The Hunted and The Hunter

Massawa was still days away.

Musyoka and the Abyssinian scout pressed hard through the rugged highlands, the weight of their message heavier than the packs on their backs. But here in Shewa, time had already begun to thin out. The knives were already unsheathed.

Commander Tesfaye had wasted no time. After sending a pigeon to the capital—urging the Emperor to act on the news of Khisa and the Shadow Guard—he took matters into his own hands. He sent out covert riders to neighboring towns, letters sealed not with royal wax, but his personal blade's blood.

"This is the moment," he had told Khisa. "If we fail now, Abyssinia will remain blind. But if we root them out today—tonight—we might just live to see a kingdom worth fighting for."

Khisa sat cross-legged with the last twelve Shadows. Beside him was Faizah, the wind in her eyes now still—calculating.