Chapter 537: The Ticking Clock - Part 1

If you enjoy music while you're reading, try "The Dark of You" by Breaking Benjamin. It's what I was listening to while writing this chapter and the next!

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AARYN

Aaryn could smell the tension on Reth and Elia as they entered the cave. The kind of tension a predator held in every rippled line of their body, wary and braced for attack when an enemy was known to be near. 

He could feel the fear in Elreth as she watched her parents greet their old friend.

He could sense the uncertainty in Gar when he moved closer to his family, pulling Rika with him. 

To Aaryn it seemed he was in the right place—near the wall, watching, observing, ready to intervene if anyone tried to interfere with the family. He would watch over them as they figured out how to keep themselves together through this.