“You’re sure she went this way?”

Dani’s voice sliced through the trees, blade drawn, breath steady. She wasn’t scared yet.

Lyla crouched low, fingers brushing the moss. The trail was faint, but the energy burned cold.

“Yeah. She’s trying to stay hidden, but this place… she doesn’t know it like I do.”

Eli was just behind her, silent as always, but his presence was a roar in her chest.

Mason flanked the left, muttering, “This feels like a trap.”

“It is,” ...