The silence of the basin was thick, punctuated only by the wet hiss of the roasting meat and the frantic beating of Corin’s heart in the shadows. "Step forward," the leader commanded, his heavy machete still loosely held but ready to swing. His eyes traveled greedily over the silver-white hair spilling across Georgia’s shoulders. "Slowly. Keep those hands where I can see 'em." Georgia did as she was told, taking two small, stumbling steps into the amber wash of the campfire. She let her shoulders tremble, her chest heaving as if she were on the verge of hyperventilating. She looked small, freezing, and utterly broken. "I... I don't have any weapons," she whimpered, her voice cracking beautifully. "My pilot... he didn't survive the crash. I’ve been wandering in the dark for hours. I saw your fire..." "Your pilot didn't survive, huh?" the second scavenger sneered, stepping around the fire to pick up the brass imperial gauge she had dropped. He wiped the dirt off the polished metal with his thumb, his eyes lighting up at the sight of the imperial crest. "Boss, this is the real deal. High-grade brass from an upper-ring vessel. And her... look at those clothes. She’s one of those sky-high nobles." "She’s more than just a noble," the leader murmured, his gaze locking onto her striking violet eyes. A cold, calculating edge replaced the simple greed in his expression. "White-and-gold scrap is one thing. But a girl with hair like spun silver and eyes like twilight? The Coalition's flyers were offering a heavy sack of gold for any high-born female matching this description." He took a step closer, the heavy leather of his boots crunching on the frozen dirt. "Are you the one they call the Songbird, little bird?" he asked, his voice dropping to a low, menacing purr. Georgia shrank back slightly, her hands clutching her collar in a display of frantic, desperate denial. "No! I... I am just a lady-in-waiting! I was fleeing the collapse! Please, if you help me get to the southern border, my family will pay you triple what the Coalition is offering!" "Triple, she says," the third scavenger laughed, a dry, hacking sound. "The Coalition pays in solid gold and guaranteed passage out of the war zones. A dead empire's promises aren't worth the paper they're written on." "He's right," the leader agreed, reaching out a dirty, fur-clad hand to grab Georgia’s chin. He tilted her face upward into the harsh, smoky light of the fire. "We don't do business with ghosts, princess. We do business with the people holding the coin." Georgia didn't flinch as his rough fingers pinched her jaw. She let a single, perfect tear slip down her cheek, but behind the veil of her lavender-white hair, her eyes remained as cold and sharp as ice. She had them exactly where she wanted them. They were focused entirely on her, their weapons lowered, their backs turned to the dark forest, and their minds filled with visions of Western gold. "But... but Tyler," Georgia whispered, letting the name slip out like a desperate, accidental gasp. The leader froze. His fingers tightened on her chin. "What did you say?" "The... the man by the river," Georgia stammered, her eyes darting frantically. "He... he said he was part of your pack. He told me to come here... he said you would protect me if I gave him my jewelry. He went back to the ship to search for the rest of my chest..." The three men exchanged sudden, sharp looks of alarm and fury. "I knew it!" the second scavenger snarled, slamming the brass gauge down on the flat stone. "That greedy bastard Tyler found her first! He’s trying to skim the chest before we can split it!" "Shut up!" the leader roared, releasing Georgia’s chin and spinning around to face his men. "If Tyler is down at that wreckage alone, he’s going to ruin the whole score. The Coalition patrols are crawling all over the lower banks!" "We have to go get him," the third scavenger insisted, reaching for his bow. "And we take the girl with us. We don't leave this gold mine sitting in our camp." "No," the leader barked, pointing his machete at the third man. "You stay here and watch her. If she so much as breathes too loud, bind her. Me and Marcus are going down to the river to drag Tyler back by his throat." Georgia lowered her head, hiding the razor-sharp smile that cut through her tears. The stage was set. The pack was split. And the hunt was about to begin.

Chapter 16: The Velvet Trap