Victoria's hand flew to her mouth, and Lucien was already moving toward the door before the echo had finished rolling through the trees.
"Stay back," he said, positioning himself in front of us as he eased the door open a crack.
"That came from where we left Marcus," I said, my heart slamming against my ribs.
"I know."
More shots rang out, closer this time, followed by shouting, voices overlapping in chaos and urgency.
"We can't stay here," Victoria said. "If Bartholomew's men are firing on Marcus, they'll come for us next."
Lucien pushed the door open fully, scanning the tree line with careful precision. "There's a path leading away from the main trail, toward the eastern ridge. If we move now, we might be able to circle back toward the chamber grounds without crossing whoever's out
