LYRA
Figures emerged from the trees, not all at once, but trickling into the forest, stepping out of the shadows with the unhurried confidence of those who have watched for a long time.
There were six of them.
They weren't human, not anymore. They had shed their original forms for something that existed between categories, walking upright but built on lines that belonged to creatures with no single shape. Their hides were thick and broad-shouldered, some scaled, some furred, some a bizarre mix. Their hands ended all wrong, and their eyes caught the moonlight like animals, burning with intelligence that didn't belong to their current bodies.
A cold, focused alertness spread through me, sharper than fear. It was the predator's recognition of something demanding its full attention.
"What
