Chapter 158

Kaelen

The first time I understood what it meant to be watched, I was twelve and standing in a circle of ash.

My father’s voice had been low, the words old and sharp, the kind of language that doesn’t translate cleanly into anything human. The elders had stood around us like statues carved from heat, their eyes on me—not warm, not proud. Measuring.

I remember thinking, I can’t breathe.

I remember