The Shadowlands stretched on like an unending nightmare, each step more draining than the last. The ground beneath Eryndor’s boots was brittle and uneven, cracking like bones with every movement. The faint glow of her rune provided the only light in the suffocating darkness, casting eerie shadows that twisted and flickered like living things.
Kaelen moved ahead of her, his steps deliberate but quiet. His eyes constantly scanned their surroundings, alert to threats that Eryndor couldn’t see. For someone so cavalier in his words, his vigilance betrayed an intimate knowledge of danger.
“You’re quiet,” Kaelen said, his voice low, breaking the silence that pressed down on them.
“I’m thinking,” Eryndor replied curtly, her gaze fixed on the horizon.
“Dangerous habit,” he quipped, though his t
