The air was thin as Ryder and I stood side by side on the cliff, the sky stretching endlessly around us. The sharp scent of pine and stone filled my lungs, but something was wrong. I tried to step forward, to survey the area and get a better understanding of where we were, but my feet wouldn’t move. Panic swirled in my chest as I glanced at Ryder. His face was etched with confusion, his body equally frozen, both of us trapped in place.
“What is this?” I asked, my voice barely above a whisper. “Why can’t we move?”
Ryder strained, testing his legs, his hands clenching into fists. “I don’t know,” he muttered, eyes scanning the cliffside and the horizon beyond. “It’s like… some kind of paralysis.”
My heart thudded against my ribs, the bond between us flickering faintly, not offering any rea
