Here's the full chapter
Dawn crawled over the forest, pale and trembling, washing the world in the color of ash. Smoke still lingered from the night's distant sins, curling through the trees like ghosts seeking what they'd lost. Birds did not sing; even the wind seemed to flinch. Among the fading embers and silent huts, something moved slow, deliberate, unseen—a shadow walking beneath the newborn light, carrying the scent of blood and fire.
The little boy's dark eyes glowed with curiosity. Seeing him, Veythor smiled, and Shimi froze; her breath hitched.
"Oh no."
Two words escaped her mouth, thin and raw. Panic lingered in her chest... the boy was still too small to understand anything that had happened here.
As he stepped into the crime scene, Veythor thought, Let's make him part of the game.