The forest had never been silent to me before. It was always alive with small things—rustling leaves, the calls of birds, the soft scurry of animals hidden in the undergrowth. But now, every sound had vanished. There was nothing but the steady, thunderous rhythm of hooves breaking the earth.
Daniel.
My lungs burned with shallow, panicked breaths. The hand gripping mine was slick with sweat, the fingers shaking not with fear, but with weakness. Adrian’s body was still recovering from wounds I could only half-treat. He leaned against me heavily, each step a battle he could barely win. And now his brother was hunting us, his shadow stretching long across the trees.
“We can’t outrun him,” I whispered, my voice so low it was barely breath.
Adrian’s grip tightened, his chest rising with effo
