The forbidden forest was unlike any place Maren had ever entered. Its trees were ancient, towering like sentinels, their trunks gnarled and blackened with time. Mist hung low and thick, curling around their feet like curious spirits. No birdsong. No wind. Just the constant hush of things watching.Jace walked ahead, torch held high. Its flame flickered oddly — not because of wind, but something else. As if the very air resisted light.

“How much farther?” Maren whispered, her voice ...