We’d walked through the night, leaving the burning village behind us. The path wound deeper into the forest, each branch like a question mark in the dark.The forest thickened around us branches clawing at the edges of my cloak. Night pressed down like a stone, the darkness full of hidden eyes. Every snapped twig set my heart hammering, every rustle a reminder of how vulnerable we were.
Aldric led us through a narrow deer trail, his sword drawn but pointed low. Gideon walked behind me, his hand never far from his hilt. Lina, exhausted, leaned into my side, her doll clutched tight to her chest.
The hush of the forest grew deeper until it felt like even the trees were holding their breath.
“We’re close,” Aldric murmured.
“To what?” I asked, though I suspected I already knew.