Chapter 13: The Thread of Shadows
They didn’t speak on the way back from the Hollow.
The forest had changed again—quieter now, as if it were holding its breath. The path behind them didn’t close, but it twisted unnaturally, leading them in slow, looping spirals until the moss beneath their boots became familiar again. By the time they crossed the ravine, dusk had painted the sky with streaks of bruised purple and red.
Emma kept her hand around the orb.
It was cold and still, wrapped in vines that pulsed faintly with silver light. As they walked, she swore she could feel it reacting to something—tugging slightly toward the east, vibrating with energy just beneath the surface.
“She said it would glow when the next one was near,” Emma murmured.
Lucas nodded, scanning the treeline. “We w
