Chapter 319. Caught in the Act

Aurora’s POV

I froze, staring at the empty spot where Ashton and Maggie had been just seconds ago, my breath catching in my throat.

“Alice... Did you see that? They just-” I gestured wildly at the air, my voice almost breaking. “-they just vanished. Right there. In front of us.”

Alice’s eyes were wide, scanning the clearing as if she could somehow find them again. “I saw it, Aura. I swear, one blink and they were gone. No sound, no trace. Just-gone.”

I swallowed hard, glancing toward Jade, who stood at the far edge of the clearing like a statue, his eyes sharp and unreadable.

“They must have sensed us,” I whispered quickly to Alice, keeping my voice low, “that’s why they called Jade over. To keep us at bay.”

Alice shook her head slowly, but there was something calculating in her gaze. “Or... maybe this is how they do it. Maybe this is how they go unnoticed all the time. They use Jade as a decoy, so no one, especially the soldiers-thinks any