The moon hung low, a pale sickle casting its silver glow over the blackened forest. Every tree seemed to lean inward, as if eavesdropping on the quiet crunch of Kael's boots. The air smelled of damp earth and something sharper, iron.
The path ahead forked, one trail leading deeper into the heart of the woods, the other winding toward the flicker of firelight in the distance. Kael paused, his instincts tightening like a noose.
The amulet against his chest pulsed once. Then again."Not now," he muttered, gripping it through his tunic.But the whisper came anyway-low, intimate, and far too familiar.
You're being followed.
Kael's hand drifted to his sword. His gaze scanned the shadows, catching glimpses of movement between the gnarled trunks. The forest had gone too quiet. Even the wind had stilled.
A figure emerged from the dark, hood drawn low.Kael raised his blade. "Step forward, slowly."
The hooded stranger obeyed, but when the firelight caught their face, Kael's grip faltered.It was a woman's eyes the color of fresh blood, lips curved in a knowing smile."You carry the Crown's scent," she said, her voice dripping like honey over steel. "And yet… you're not one of them."
"Who are you?" Kael demanded.
"Someone who knows what you truly are, Kael. And what hunts you tonight."
Before he could respond, a howl ripped through the trees, deep, guttural, and far too close. The ground trembled. The woman's smile widened.
"You might want to decide quickly," she whispered, stepping aside as the shadows behind her began to move.
Dozens of glowing eyes blinked open in the darkness.