The road east was little more than a trail swallowed by wild grass. Twilight bled into night, and the silence of the Wyrdlands pressed close around them. The further they went, the more Elyndra seemed like a fading memory, its towers no more than ghosts on the horizon.
Selara tightened her cloak, glancing warily at the trees looming ahead. "This place feels… wrong."
Kaelis kept his hand near the hilt of his dagger. "It's supposed to. Orin said the Wyrdlands were born from Maelor's ruin. Places like this don't heal."
The shard in Selara's palm pulsed faintly, its light pulling them deeper into the forest. Each beat of its glow felt like a heartbeat—sometimes hers, sometimes Kaelis's. She closed her fist around it, unnerved.
They entered the Wyrdwood, where the trees grew unnaturally tall, their twisted branches tangling like claws. The air hung heavy, damp with a scent of earth and ash. No bird sang. No insect stirred.
Then came the whisper.
At first, Kaelis thought it was only the wind. But the voices sharpened, curling into words. Kaelis… Selara…
Selara froze. "You hear it too?"
Before Kaelis could answer, the forest moved. Shadows peeled themselves from the trunks of trees, slithering into forms shaped like people—faceless, shifting, hollow.
"The curse's children," Selara whispered.
The first shadow lunged. Kaelis drew his dagger, its steel gleaming in the shard's light, and slashed through the creature. It dissolved into mist, but two more replaced it instantly.
Selara raised her hands, weaving threads of shimmering light, the remnants of her bloodline's power. "Stay close to me!" she shouted, her voice trembling but resolute.
Kaelis fought at her side, his illusions weaving with her magic—phantom flames and mirrored strikes, each blow buying them moments. Still, the shadows pressed harder, their whispers gnawing at Kaelis's mind.
You will fail her. She will betray you. Your bond is a lie.
Kaelis faltered for an instant, the words cutting deeper than blades. One of the shadows seized the chance, its claws slicing across his arm. Pain seared through him.
"Kaelis!" Selara's cry broke through the haze. She unleashed a surge of light that tore the shadow apart, her power flaring brighter than before. For a heartbeat, Kaelis saw her—not as a cursed heir, but as the girl who had chosen to fight despite it.
He forced himself back up, clutching his wounded arm. "I'm not letting them take us."
Together, they pressed forward, each step a desperate strike against the tide. Finally, Selara thrust the shard into the air. It flared with blinding brilliance, scattering the shadows like smoke under the sun.
The forest fell silent once more.
Breathing heavily, Selara dropped to her knees, the shard still glowing faintly in her grip. "They're only the beginning," she whispered. "Maelor's reach… it's already here."
Kaelis knelt beside her, his voice firm despite the ache in his body. "Then let him come. We'll face him together."
For the first time since leaving Elyndra, Selara met his gaze without flinching. And in her eyes, Kaelis saw something stronger than fear—resolve.
Above the Wyrdwood canopy, the moon broke free of the clouds, silver light spilling down like a quiet blessing.
But far beyond the trees, in the ruins of a forgotten tower, Maelor's laughter stirred.