Lyla walked in silence, flanked by the Marked Ones as they led her deeper into the unknown. The air was thick with something unnatural, something that made her skin prickle and her instincts scream at her to turn back. But she ignored the fear, kept her steps steady, and forced herself to focus.
She had chosen this.
She had to understand what the Marked Ones knew.
The leader, the one who had spoken for them, moved just ahead of her, their dark cloak blending seamlessly with the shifting shadows around them. They hadn’t spoken since leaving the pack behind, but Lyla could feel their gaze flicking toward her every so often as if waiting for her to break the silence.
She wouldn’t.
Not yet.
Instead, she listened. The forest’s whispers here were different. Not hostile, not corrupted, just
