Chapter 49: Echoes of the Unseen
The air was unnaturally still that night, as though the forest itself was holding its breath. Moonlight slipped through the trees in pale ribbons, brushing the ridge with a ghostly glow. Lila stood at the edge of the clearing, her eyes locked on the shadowed tree line where she had last seen the flicker of movement. Whoever it was had been watching them—watching her.
Her fingers tightened around the lantern’s handle.
Behind her, Damian stepped closer, his presence warm and steady, but his voice low with caution.
“Don’t go any farther. Whoever it is wants us unsettled. That’s why they linger in the dark.”
“I can’t just stand here,” Lila whispered, her throat dry. “Every night, it’s the same feeling—eyes on me. If I don’t face it, it’ll never end.”
Dami
