The forest swallowed us.
One moment, the palace lights were still faintly visible behind the hills, and the next we were beneath towering ancient trees whose branches blocked even the moonlight. The air smelled of wet bark, cold earth, and the distant musk of wolves.
I leaned against a crooked oak, my chest rising and falling painfully.
Every part of my body ached.
My wounds had barely healed before the escape, and now the strain of running had reopened them. My side throbbed with every breath, and the taste of blood lingered at the back of my throat.
Aisha crouched beside me, her ears straining for every sound.
“Can you walk?” she whispered.
I nodded, though the truth was uncertain.
“We cannot stop long,” she continued. “They will search the forest.”
My mind drifted back to the r
