The forest grew unnaturally still. Even the whispering trees held their tongues, as if waiting. Liora's breath caught in her throat when she saw them — tall, thin shadows lining the treeline, their shapes flickering like smoke that refused to vanish.
Kael shifted in front of her, blade drawn, his voice low and edged.
"Not revenants. Not human either."
The figures didn't advance. They lingered, half-hidden, heads tilting in perfect unison, as if studying prey. Their silence was heavier than any scream.
Then the sound came — not voices, but a hum that rattled the bones. It wasn't a language, yet Liora felt it press against her thoughts, pulling at her memories. Images flashed: the Dawnwatch seal, her commander's face, her own oath sworn with a steady voice. The shadows were digging, clawing at her mind.
Kael noticed her stagger and grabbed her wrist. "Stay with me. Look at me, not them."
She clenched her jaw, forcing her gaze onto him. His scarred face, his steady grip — anchors in a sea of shifting lies. The hum faltered. The shadows tilted their heads again, as if disappointed.
And then they moved.
Not a rush, not a charge — but a slow, deliberate closing of the circle. Every step matched the next, soft as falling ash.
Kael braced. "If they touch us, we're done. We cut through, or we die here."
Liora lifted her staff, the runes along its length faintly glowing in defiance. Her voice, ragged but firm, cut through the hum:
"Then we cut through."
The first shadow lunged. It wasn't solid, but its claw left frost across Kael's blade when he parried. Another swiped at Liora — she answered with a flare of light, tearing its shape apart, but it reformed instantly, whispering fragments of her own voice back at her: "You can't save them… you already failed…"
Every strike, every step forward was met with resistance. Not flesh, not blood — but the crushing weight of doubt given form.
Still, side by side, they fought. Kael's blade carved arcs through smoke and cold, Liora's light burned holes in the dark. The circle wavered, broke. A narrow path opened between two trees, just wide enough for escape.
Kael shoved her ahead. "Move!"
They stumbled through, the shadows halting at the treeline as if bound to it. Watching. Waiting.
When the hum faded, silence returned, but not peace. The forest wasn't done with them — it had only let them go.
Ahead, through the thinning trees, a stairway of stone descended into the earth. Its steps were carved with the same split-circle symbol they had seen in the catacombs.
The watchers had driven them exactly where the curse wanted them to go.
Chapter Eleven Ends