Betrayed By One. Bound To Three-Chapter 72: The Return.

After hours of pushing through twisted trees and choking mist, the shadows of the witch’s domain slowly faded behind them.

The air grew lighter with every step, and the strange, heavy silence that had followed them through the dark woods gradually loosened its grip.

Kael was the first to notice.

He slowed slightly and glanced up through the branches.

Light.

Real light.

Not the dim gray glow that had filtered weakly through the witch’s forest, but the pale gold of morning sunlight. 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝙚𝔀𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝒐𝒎

For a moment, neither of them spoke. Stepping out of that darkness felt less like escape and more like being released.

Edris lifted his eyes.

The canopy above them had opened just enough for the sun to spill down in long streaks across the forest floor. Dust and pollen drifted lazily through the light, and for the first time in what felt like forever, the air smelled clean.

They had crossed the boundary.

Behind them, the dark forest lay quiet and distant.

Kael let out a slow breath.

"I was beginning to think that place would never end."

Edris looked at his brother and saw how heavy his steps had become. They were both exhausted but they couldn’t afford the luxury of resting even for a single moment.

Kael dragged in a breath. "I can’t feel my legs."

"Keep moving," Edris said. His hand stayed on the vial.

It felt heavier than it should have. Not in his hand, but in what it carried.

"We can rest when Selena is safe," Edris added.

Kael nodded immediately.

They pushed forward again. Kael stumbled once–caught himself, and kept going like stopping was not an option he allowed himself to have.

Their muscles burned from the long run, their clothes were torn in several places, and thin lines of dried blood marked where branches and claws had scraped their skin during the chase.

Kael rolled his shoulder with a quiet groan.

"Next time someone suggests a pleasant walk through the forest," he muttered, "I’m refusing."

Edris allowed the corner of his mouth to lift slightly.

"If there is a next time."

They moved quickly through the trees, careful but determined.

The deeper they went into the ordinary forest, the more signs of life began to appear again. Birds moved through the branches above them, and the distant sound of running water drifted faintly through the woods.

But something else caught Edris’s attention.

He raised a hand suddenly.

Kael froze instantly.

"What?"

Edris listened carefully.

Voices.

Faint, but unmistakable.

Every instinct in Edris sharpened at once. Not relief. Not safety. Something worse.

Kael heard them too a moment later.

They both lowered themselves quietly behind a cluster of thick bushes as several figures moved through the trees not far ahead.

Men.

Armed.

Their armor glinted faintly in the morning light as they searched the forest floor and spoke quietly among themselves.

Kael’s jaw tightened.

"Search parties."

Edris nodded slightly.

"And I doubt they’re looking for lost travelers."

The men moved slowly between the trees, scanning the ground and the surrounding brush.

The space between them and the soldiers felt too thin, like one wrong breath could close it completely.

Kael leaned closer to Edris.

"Silas."

It wasn’t a question.

Edris’s expression hardened.

"Most likely."

If Silas had discovered Selena’s condition—or realized the triplets had taken her away—sending search parties would be the obvious response.

Kael exhaled quietly.

"Then we stay out of sight."

Edris nodded.

They remained perfectly still as the group passed through the woods only a short distance away. The men spoke quietly to each other as they moved, clearly searching for someone.

Kael waited until the sound of their footsteps had faded before speaking again.

"We need to move."

"Yes."

They changed their direction slightly, avoiding the path the soldiers had taken.

The forest seemed larger now, filled with hidden watchers and dangers that had nothing to do with monsters.

But the triplets had survived worse.

They moved quickly and silently, weaving through the trees until the familiar part of the forest finally came into view.

Kael slowed as they approached the small clearing where they had left Selena.

His heart began to pound faster.

"They should be here."

Edris said nothing.

They stepped carefully into the clearing.

Selena lay where they had left her, resting on the small bed of blankets the healer had arranged. Her skin was still pale, and her breathing remained shallow, but the healer sat beside her, carefully tending to her with a damp cloth pressed against her forehead.

She looked exactly the same.

The older woman looked up the moment the brothers entered the clearing.

Relief flashed across her face.

"You returned."

Edris stepped forward immediately.

"We have it."

He pulled the vial from his coat and held it out.

The healer’s eyes widened slightly as she took it from him.

"You actually found it..."

Her voice thinned as she turned the vial in her hands, studying the liquid like it might betray her.

Edris knelt beside Selena, studying her weak form.

"How long has it been?"

He was not asking for time. He was asking how close they were to losing her.

"Too long," the healer replied quietly while examining the vial carefully.

"But if this truly is the antidote, there may still be time."

Kael glanced around the clearing.

"Where is Ronan?"

The healer didn’t look up as she worked.

"He went to fetch water from the stream not far from here."

Kael frowned.

"Alone?"

"He insisted."

Edris’s eyes flicked toward the trees.

"He should return soon."

As if summoned by the words, the sound of rushing footsteps suddenly echoed through the forest.

A moment later Ronan burst through the trees.

For a second, Edris did not move. Something in the way Ronan appeared, too sudden, too exact, made him hesitate.

His hair was damp with sweat, and he carried a large container of water in his hands.

The moment he saw brothers, his eyes widened in disbelief.

"Edris! Kael!"

The container slipped from his hands and fell to the ground with a dull thud as he ran forward.

"You made it!"

He threw his arms around them both, pulling them into a tight embrace.

The grip was tight. Too tight. Like he needed to be sure they were real.

Kael laughed breathlessly.

"Easy, brother."

Ronan pulled back just enough to look at them again.

"I thought—"

He stopped himself, shaking his head.

"You were gone so long."

Edris placed a hand firmly on his shoulder.

"But we returned."

Ronan grinned with visible relief.

"And you found the antidote?"

Kael nodded.

"The healer has it."

Hope flashed across Ronan’s face.

For a moment the tension that had weighed on all of them seemed to lift.

The three brothers stood together again. Ronan looked between them, questions already forming.

Then the healer’s voice cut gently through the moment.

"Ronan."

He turned quickly.

"Yes?"

Her brow furrowed slightly.

"The water you went to fetch."

Ronan blinked.

"The water—"

His gaze dropped to the ground.

The container lay on its side where he had dropped it during the reunion.

The lid had come loose, but no water had spilled from it.

"Oh."

He rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly.

"I forgot."

Edris’s gaze dropped briefly to Ronan’s hands.

No water.

No wet marks.

Nothing.

Ronan never forgot things like that.

The healer sighed softly.

"She needs it to drink the antidote."

Ronan straightened immediately.

"I’ll get more."

He grabbed the empty container and hurried toward the trees again.

"I’ll be back in a moment!"

Within seconds he disappeared into the forest once more.

Silence settled over the clearing.

Kael watched the direction Ronan had gone.

Then he slowly turned his head toward Edris.

Edris was already looking at him.

The two brothers exchanged a quiet glance.

It was the kind of look they had shared all their lives. No words. No questions. Just knowing.

Neither of them spoke.

But the same thought had crossed both their minds.

Something about that moment had felt...

Strange.

The feeling lingered in the air long after Ronan had vanished into the trees, quiet and wrong.