Rissa’s POV

The fog came without warning.

One moment, the forest was just damp and quiet. The next, it swallowed us whole. The air thickened until I couldn’t see beyond the stretch of my hand. Every sound, every crack of a branch, every rustle of leaves felt closer, heavier, wrong.

Mark slowed, his blade already drawn. His silhouette shifted like a ghost beside me.

“Stay close,” he whispered.

I nodded, though he probably couldn’t see it. My pulse hammered so hard it hurt. Each ...