The woods beyond the barrier felt like a different world. Every tree seemed older, every breeze sharper. I didn’t stop running, even though my legs felt like they were filled with molten lead and my lungs were shredded ribbons inside my chest. I needed distance from the chains; from the ritual; and from the feeling of Acwulf's control that even now I could still feel. Freedom shouldn’t hurt like this, but it did. Still, I pushed forward. 

The stars overhead flickered like ...