The battlefield reeked of smoke and ash. The black fire still hissed along Aric’s blade, though he willed it to dim. His chest heaved, every breath sharp as knives.
The Hunters had retreated into a wide circle, masks glinting in the half-light. Their drums were slower now, no longer driving them forward but resonating like a heartbeat—steady, patient, inevitable.
They weren’t giving up. They were waiting. Watching.
Like wolves, Aric thought. Testing me. Seeing how long before I break.
The girl pressed against his leg, trembling violently. “Make them stop…” she whispered. “Please, make them go away…”
Aric’s jaw clenched. “I will. I swear it.”
But even as he said it, the scar throbbed, whispering like venom in his blood. You already know the truth. They will never stop. Not until you f
