The forest was quiet too quiet.
Samantha lay still, her back pressed against the rough bark of a fallen tree, her body aching from the fever that had burned through her the night before. The fire at her camp had gone cold. Her skin glistened with sweat, her hair damp and tangled from restless sleep.
Above her, the sky stretched wide, painted in silver light.
The full moon had risen.
Its glow blanketed the woods like a silent spell, illuminating every leaf and stone with eerie clarity. But Samantha didn’t see any of it. Her eyes were closed, her breaths shallow, her mind slipping into a strange, deep slumber.
And then… she dreamed.
At first, it felt like falling.
Her body weightless, spiraling through darkness, her heartbeat thudding like a drum echoing into the void. But then the da
