At that moment, everyone but Stella Sterling was sitting on the ground, completely drained.
They had run far enough that the creature likely couldn't catch them. Utterly exhausted, they had no choice but to sit and rest for a while.
The distant fire crackled, the sound carrying clearly to them despite the distance.
They looked over at Sterling, who was standing a short distance away and surveying their surroundings.
Their hearts swelled with gratitude. If Sterling hadn't been so decisive, they might still be entangled in those vines.
If they had kept fighting, they would have all been killed by those vines as soon as their stamina ran out.
They hadn't forgotten the skeleton they'd seen in the tree earlier. It had clearly been ensnared and drained of its lifeblood.
A wave of fear washed over them as they realized they could have easily met the same fate.
Sterling had saved their lives again.
"Stop dwelling on it and get some rest. Once you've recovered, we're moving out."
