Vera frowned slightly. "Why?"
"I think there might be something there," Lavayla replied evenly. "Even if there isn't, it won't hurt to look. I don't sense anything dangerous."
They exchanged looks. After a brief pause, Miren nodded. "Alright. Stay alert."
They changed direction.
The ground grew more difficult the farther they went. Thick, tangled roots crisscrossed the forest floor, rising and sinking like the backs of buried creatures. Lavayla had to watch her footing carefully. It struck her how abrupt the change was. Only a short distance behind them, the forest had been open, almost sparse. Here, the trees crowded together, their roots intertwined as if the land itself had decided to knot.
Eventually, they reached a wall of vines and dense undergrowth that seemed almost deliberately placed.
Lavayla lifted a hand. "Here."
