The air around the Lunaris had changed since Malik had last visited. As he walked toward the borders that afternoon, the sun hanging in a pale, wide sky, he felt a strange shift in his surroundings immediately. He was flanked by two of his most trusted warriors, men who had seen their fair share of skirmishes, yet even they stood a little straighter as they felt odd as well.
Malik slowed his movements and looked around the thick surrounding of trees. He knew he was being watched. It wasn't just a suspicion in his mind, but it was a physical sensation. There was a prickle at the base of his neck, his hairs rising, that told him eyes were tracking his every move from the dense treeline. He scanned the thicket, his sharp eyes darting between the shadows of the pines and the tangled undergrow
