They reached the plant.
Alaric dropped to his knees immediately, the movement quick but controlled. From his bag, he pulled out a small, sharp blade, his hands steady despite the chaos building around them.
"Hold them off!" he said.
Darin stepped forward without hesitation, placing himself between Alaric and the creatures. His grip tightened around his sword, his stance firm.
"I've got you."
The manticore in front of him lowered its body, its muscles coiling like a drawn bow. Its tail swayed slowly behind it, the tip glistening faintly. Poison.
"Come on," he muttered under his breath.
The beast lunged at him.
Darin met it head-on, raising his blade just in time. Steel clashed against claw with a sharp, jarring sound. The impact sent a shock through his arm, forcing him back a step, his boots scraping against the uneven ground.
Behind him, Alaric worked quickly, cutting carefully at the base of the plant.
"Almost…" he muttered.
"Make it fast!" Darin snapped, not taking his eyes off the creature.
To the right, Rowan engaged another manticore. His movements were precise, controlled, every strike calculated. He ducked under a swipe, then drove his blade across the creature's side. It roared, recoiling, but didn't fall. They never fell easily.
A third beast circled from the left.
One of the soldiers, Arin stepped forward to intercept, but he was a second too slow. The manticore's tail lashed out, grazing his forearm.
"Ah—!" Bren staggered back. The wound was shallow.
But the effect was immediate.
Dark veins began to spread beneath his skin.
Lyra saw it. "Fall back!" she shouted, rushing to him.
She grabbed his arm and pulled him away just as the beast lunged again, its claws tearing through the space he had just occupied.
"I've got him!" she said, dragging him toward safer ground.
Bren's breathing had already started to change.
"Stay with me," Lyra said, her voice firm despite the fear rising inside her.
The circle was closing.
The manticores weren't attacking wildly. They were coordinating.
"Done!" Alaric stood abruptly, clutching the Nightshade Virel tightly in his hand. The plant's pale glow seemed almost unreal against the darkness of the Hollow.
"We move now!" Rowan barked.
No one argued. They didn't try to finish the fight.
They turned and ran.
The ground fought them with every step.
Roots twisted beneath their boots, loose soil shifting dangerously. Branches snapped underfoot as they pushed forward, forcing their way through the uneven terrain.
Behind them, a sharp, piercing screech tore through the air.
The manticores were coming.
Darin didn't need to look back to know how close they were. But he did anyway.
"They're on us!" he shouted.
"Keep moving!" Rowan replied. "Do not break formation!"
Lyra supported Bren as best as she could, one arm wrapped around him as they ran. He was slowing.
The poison was already spreading.
"Come on," she urged. "You're not dying here."
He tried to nod but his steps faltered.
Darin noticed.
He moved without thinking, stepping in and taking Bren's other side.
"Don't stop," Darin said. "We're almost out."
A shadow moved above them. Rowan saw it first.
"Down!"
Everyone reacted instantly.
They dropped down just as a manticore launched from above, its massive body crashing into the ground where they had been seconds before.
Darin rolled, dirt scraping against his arm as he pushed himself back up.
The creature turned immediately. No hesitation, it lunged at them.
Darin met it with a sharp strike, his blade cutting across its shoulder. The beast recoiled slightly, hissing but not stopping. They never stopped.
"Move!" Rowan shouted again. They ran faster, no control just survival.
The trees ahead began to thin.
Light broke through the darkness in faint streaks.
The edge, they were close.
"Just a little further!" Alaric said, his voice strained but determined.
Behind them, the sound of claws tearing through the earth grew louder
Darin felt it before he saw it, a shift in the air.
A presence right behind him.
He turned, the manticore was already there.
Its jaws opened wide, its tail raised high.
Darin didn't think, he quickly acted.
He stepped forward instead of back, driving his blade straight into its chest with all the strength he had.
The creature roared, the force of the impact pushing him backward as he ripped the blade free.
Not a killing blow, but enough to slow it down and buy them time.
"Out! Move!" Rowan shouted.
They crossed the edge of the Hollow almost at once and everything changed.
The air lightened, the crushing pressure disappeared,
the unnatural silence broke.
It felt like stepping out of something alive.
They didn't stop immediately, they kept running,
until they were far enough.
Until the sounds behind them faded.
The, they stopped.
Heavy breathing filled the space, no one spoke at first.
They didn't need to. They were alive.
Darin bent slightly, hands on his knees, catching his breath. Sweat ran down his face, his chest rising and falling rapidly.
Lyra eased Bren down carefully, his condition had worsened.
"We need to move," she said, urgency back in her voice.
Alaric stepped forward, still holding the plant.
"We have it, enough for sir Bren too." he said.
The words carried weight and hope.
Rowan nodded once, his expression serious. "Then we don't waste time."
Darin straightened. "We ride now."
"No stops," Rowan added.
Lyra glanced back toward the Black Hollow.
The manticores stood at the edge, watching them.
They didn't follow them, they didn't need to.
That place was theirs.
She turned away.
"Let's go," she said.
They mounted quickly. Bren was lifted onto a horse, barely conscious now.
Time was running out, not just for Kaelen but for all of them.
Without another word, they rode fast, back toward the palace.
Back toward the only chance they had left.