Elira ran.
The voice, no, the presence, had not followed. But it had awakened something in the forest. The mist churned now, more alive than before, responding to her heartbeat, her fear.
She clutched the pouch of berries and the filled flask close to her chest. The forest had provided, though it had asked nothing. Yet.
Twilight bled into the glade as she returned.
The ruins came into view, softly lit by the bioluminescent vines that now glowed stronger than when she left. Her steps slowed.
Something had changed.
Kael was awake. Barely. He leaned against a moss-covered pillar, pale but alert. When he saw her, relief washed over his features.
She dropped beside him, handing him water first.
"You found something?" he rasped.
She nodded. "Some kind of fruit. And this." She held up the flask. "The stream looked safe."
He drank slowly, every swallow a struggle.
The twins slept in the hollow of a stone, their tiny bodies warm with unnatural calm.
Elira ate with shaking hands. She hadn't realized how hungry she'd been.
Then, Kael spoke.
"You felt it too, didn't you? Out there."
She didn't answer immediately.
"Yes," she whispered. "And it wasn't like the Watchers."
Kael looked toward the mist.
"It saw you."
Elira didn't deny it.
"I think it's waiting for something," she said.
Kael stared at the sleeping twins.
"So are we."