The forest felt like it was holding its breath.
My heart was pounding so hard I was certain it would give us away. I pressed my back against the inner curve of the hollow bark, every muscle locked tight, lungs barely daring to draw air. The rough wood scraped against my shoulder as I tried to make myself smaller, invisible.
Beside me, Charlie stood rigid, eyes razor-sharp, his entire body coiled like a drawn blade ready to strike at the slightest movement.
We had been noticed. There was no denying it anymore.
The forest shifted beyond our hiding place—but not with the whisper of wind or the rustle of animals. Leaves brushed together with deliberate weight. Twigs bent, then stilled.
Footsteps.
Slow. Controlled. Hunting.
A low, rough voice tore through the stillness.
"Skra?" (Where?)
My heart slammed violently against my ribs.
The single word felt like a hook sinking into my spine, yanking every nerve taut. I barely dared to breathe, afraid even the sound of my pulse might betray us.
Then another voice answered.
Sharper. Quieter. And far too close.
"Tor-bark. Duu prey. Skra-kill… skra-pass?" (Inside the tree bark. Two prey. Kill… or leave?)
My stomach dropped.
They weren't guessing. They were confirming.
My fingers curled into tight fists, nails biting into my palms as cold fear flooded my limbs. The hollow suddenly felt too small, too fragile—like a coffin made of rotten wood.
Beside me, Charlie stiffened. I felt it even without looking.
His jaw tightened, the muscles in his face locking as his eyes darkened with grim understanding.
They knew exactly where we were.
For a moment, there was only silence—heavy, suffocating.
Then the first voice spoke again.
"Graah… skra-hide now, strike-later. Hunt-first." (If we leave now, they may strike later. Better hunt first.)
Cold settled into my chest, spreading fast—like ice seeping through cracked stone.
That was it.
There was no hesitation in their voices. No uncertainty. No debate left to be had.
They had decided.
A faint scrape followed. Metal against wood. The unmistakable sound of an arrow being drawn.
Charlie reacted instantly.
"Down!" he hissed.
Charlie burst from cover just as the arrow screamed through the air. He shoved me aside, the shaft slicing past where my head had been a heartbeat earlier and burying itself deep into the hollow tree.
My heart slammed violently against my ribs.
Charlie didn't stop moving.
Fire flared around his palm as he stepped out from behind the tree, heat rippling outward.
Vaela was already repositioning.
She moved like a shadow pulled by instinct—rolling, rising, drawing another arrow in one fluid motion. Her bowstring snapped taut.
"Skra-flame." (Fire user.)
She loosed.
Charlie twisted sideways, the arrow grazing past his shoulder close enough for me to hear it hiss through the air. He answered immediately, hurling a compact firebolt.
Vaela pivoted, the flames licking past her ribs and scorching bark behind her.
"Hrrk. Slow." (Slow.)
Charlie clenched his teeth.
She wasn't panicking.
She wasn't retreating.
Her movements were measured—controlled. Each arrow loosed, each step taken, was deliberate. She was watching him closely, reading his reactions, gauging his limits.
She wasn't trying to overwhelm him.
She was testing him.
Vaela fired again—then again—two arrows in rapid succession. Charlie slammed his foot down, flames erupting in a low burst that deflected one arrow while he ducked the other.
The impact scorched his arm.
He hissed in pain but didn't falter.
"Arthur—move!" he shouted.
I barely had time to react.
Charlie grabbed my arm and dragged me behind a thick tree just as another arrow struck where my head had been moments earlier.
"No choice now," he whispered urgently. "If we run, she'll shoot us down—and the noise will draw monsters. They're not going to listen to us anyway. We fight first… then, if we survive, we try to talk."
My throat felt dry, but I nodded.
Another arrow hissed past, slicing leaves clean off a branch above us.
Charlie stepped out from cover.
Fire erupted around his palm as he hurled a flame forward.
The woman—Vaela—twisted aside with terrifying ease. The fire scorched past her shoulder, singeing leather but failing to slow her.
"Hrrk. Weak-flame." (Weak.)
Charlie grimaced but didn't stop.
He snapped his fingers again, jaw clenched as fire surged brighter around his palm. The flames roared outward in a sweeping blast, scorching the air as he hurled it straight at her.
Vaela didn't retreat.
She dropped low, rolling beneath the wave of heat as it passed just above her, the fire singing the leaves behind her. In one smooth motion, she came up on one knee, already drawing her bow—no hesitation, no wasted movement.
Twack—twack!
Two arrows flew.
Charlie threw himself sideways, heat bursting around him as one arrow grazed his sleeve and the other slammed into the tree behind him, vibrating violently.
She never stopped moving.
Vaela flowed through the forest like a hunting shadow, circling wide, then cutting in close, constantly shifting her position. She fired from behind trees, from elevated roots, from angles that forced Charlie to twist, duck, and retreat before he could properly stabilize his stance.
Every time he tried to gather fire, an arrow hissed through the air—close enough that he felt its wake brush his skin.
Every time he planted his feet, another shot came screaming in, forcing him to break concentration and move again.
There was no rhythm. No breathing room.
She wasn't overwhelming him with power. She was suffocating him with precision.
Charlie snarled, flames bursting erratically from his palms as he deflected and dodged, the heat scorching bark and leaves instead of his enemy.
"Damn it—!" he roared, frustration bleeding into his voice as Vaela tightened the noose, her arrows driving him step by step into worse ground.
She was closer now—too close.
She dropped her bow mid-stride and lunged, a short blade flashing into her hand. Charlie barely raised his arm in time, fire exploding outward as metal met flame.
Meanwhile—
The ground shook. I turned—
Too late.
Rokar came at me like a charging beast.
The ground trembled as he closed the distance, spear flashing through the air in a brutal arc. I threw myself sideways just as the weapon smashed into the tree behind me, the tip bursting through the trunk in an explosion of splinters.
My breath tore from my lungs.
I scrambled to my feet and ran.
Branches whipped against my face as I zigzagged between trees, my boots slipping on damp roots. Every instinct screamed at me to keep moving.
Behind me—
THUD.
The spear struck again.
I dove behind another tree just as the spear's shaft ripped through the bark where my head had been a heartbeat earlier. Wood exploded outward, splinters slicing past my face as the trunk shuddered violently from the impact.
My heart slammed against my ribs.
Behind me, the tree groaned—then cracked—its bark torn open as if it had been paper.
A deep laugh echoed through the forest.
Rokar wasn't mocking me.
He was enjoying it.
The sound crawled up my spine, heavy and pleased, like a predator savoring a chase it knew it would win. I risked a glance around the trunk—
He was already moving.
Rokar didn't rush. He advanced with terrifying certainty, bare feet crushing leaves and roots as if the forest itself bent under his weight. His spear spun once in his grip, slow and deliberate, before snapping forward again.
I threw myself aside.
The spear punched through the tree I'd just abandoned, bursting out the other side in a spray of splinters. The force carried it several feet beyond, embedding the tip deep into the soil.
My breath came out in a ragged gasp.
He yanked the spear free with one arm, not even looking at the damage he'd caused.
"Graah…" he muttered, lips curling upward.
(Still running.)
I staggered back, feet slipping on damp leaves, forcing myself to keep moving even as my lungs burned. Every instinct screamed at me to run faster—but the forest was against me. Roots snagged at my boots. Low branches scraped my arms.
Rokar closed the distance.
Too fast.
I barely had time to duck as the spear swept horizontally, the wind of it grazing my chest. The impact smashed into a nearby trunk, splitting it cleanly down the middle.
The tree collapsed behind me with a thunderous crack.
I stumbled forward, heart pounding so hard it drowned out everything else.
Behind me, Rokar laughed again—low, pleased.
"Run-run prey. Tiring."
(Run. You'll get tired.)
And the worst part?
He was right.
My legs burned. My breath tore painfully in and out of my chest. Each step felt heavier than the last, while Rokar's footsteps remained steady—unhurried.
Relentless.
Another spear thrust came—faster this time.
I twisted, barely avoiding it, feeling the shaft brush my sleeve as it slammed into the ground beside me. The earth burst apart, dirt spraying into my face.
I fell hard, rolling instinctively as the spear ripped free again.
Pain flared across my shoulder as I hit the ground, knocking the breath from my lungs.
Rokar loomed closer now, filling my vision.
His tattoos flexed as his muscles tightened, veins standing out beneath his skin. He planted the butt of his spear into the earth and leaned forward slightly, studying me like a puzzle he'd already solved.
"Clever prey," he said, grinning.
(Clever prey.)
Nearby, fire roared.
Charlie and Vaela clashed again—flames exploding against arrows, sparks lighting the forest in violent flashes. Charlie staggered back, sweat pouring down his face as Vaela pressed him relentlessly, her movements precise, merciless.
Charlie screamed my name.
He hurled a firebolt toward Rokar—
But Rokar twisted aside effortlessly.
"Krhh-slow." (Too slow.)
Vaela didn't give him the chance to reach me.
She slammed into him, blade flashing. Charlie blocked with fire, heat roaring between them as they collided again and again—steel versus flame.
Charlie's breathing turned ragged.
I saw it.
He was being pushed back.
Both of them were stronger than he expected.
Rokar straightened slowly, spinning his spear once before pointing it at me.
"Now… skra-hide?" (Now… where will you hide?)
I struggled to push myself up, breath ragged, chest burning as cold air ripped in and out of my lungs. My vision blurred for a moment.
He loomed over me.
Huge.
Unstoppable.