Emeriel pushed himself harder. The woods, so familiar from a life spent hunting and scavenging to feed himself and Aekeira, were now his sanctuary and his weapon.
The snap of branches and the dry rustle of leaves beneath his feet marked his passage. Every step was a frantic blur, leaving behind only the echo of his rapid heartbeat as he vanished into the depths of the woods.
"Bloody hell! Where is he!?" The fading cry marked his progress – for now. But the ceaseless chase was taking its toll.
Unlike the tireless Urekai, Emeriel was only human. He knew, with a chilling certainty, that he wouldn't outrun them all the way back to the fortress.
Emeriel's ragged breaths echoed in the sudden quiet as his heart pounded a staccato rhythm against his ribs. Desperate eyes scanned the underbrus
