Victoria’s POV
The path was slippery, and the forest grew denser as we climbed higher up the mountain.
Makarius carried Abrax on his shoulders.
"Victoria, we’re almost there. She told us we’d feel the land. I’m not sure what that means, but that’s all she said about where to go." Then he turned to me. The air tingled against my skin, and the ground under my feet seemed to pulse gently, almost like the earth had a heartbeat. It felt like the forest wanted us to notice something hidden, waiting for us to understand.
"I feel it," I said nervously. "Keep going." The ground felt different beneath us as we walked, and our senses grew sharper.
Fifteen minutes later, I looked up to see a woman on the path.
"Welcome," she said. "Follow me." She looked to be in her mid-thirties, with long blac
