The fog thickened as they fled the Ember Veil, curling low across the forest floor like fingers reaching from the earth. Aria’s legs burned with each step, her breath ragged. The black flame still churned beneath her skin, unstable, twitching at the edge of her control.
Kael moved ahead, clearing their path with his sword. “Just a little farther,” he said, glancing back at her, voice strained. “There’s a hollow not far—we can rest there.”
But Aria barely heard him.
Because something was calling.
Not aloud.
Inside.
Aria…
She stumbled.
The trees around her seemed to bend inward, leaning closer, branches whispering secrets in a tongue she almost understood. Her fingers tingled. Her veins felt too full.
“Kael…” she started, but her voice came out strange. Warped. Echoing.
He turned—a
