The forest went quiet again, but the feeling didn’t leave.
Lyra stood still, her senses alert, her heartbeat slower now—but not calm.
Not really.
Because something had changed.
Not just outside.
Between them.
“We’re being watched,” she said.
Kael didn’t look away from the trees. “We already knew that.”
“This is different.”
Daniel glanced at her. “How?”
Lyra hesitated. “I can feel it.”
That made both of them look at her.
Not with doubt.
With focus.
Kael stepped closer. “Feel what?”
Lyra frowned slightly, trying to explain it. “It’s not like before. It’s… quieter. Controlled.”
Daniel’s expression tightened. “So they’re hiding better.”
“No,” Lyra said softly. “They’re not hiding from me.”
Silence.
That changed everything.
Kael’s voice lowered. “Then what are they doing?”
