Chapter 21 When the Forest Answers with Teeth
The forest did not argue. It attacked. The first tremor came without warning—violent, bone-rattling, strong enough to crack stone and send birds screaming from the canopy. The courtyard split open as roots burst through the ground, thick as pillars, snapping flagstones like dry bark. People scattered. Soldiers shouted orders that dissolved into panic. The elders cried out—not in command, but in fear. And the forest did not slow. “This is a test,” Kulas shouted over the roar, already shifting form, hooves striking stone as he braced himself. “It always is!” Kael seized my arm, pulling me back as a branch tore through the air where my head had been seconds before. “No more,” he growled. “You’re not facing this alone.” I yanked my arm free. “If you stand in front of me, it will kill
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